Dimensional Intervention I: Installation
by EkaSwede
Summary: Bill Anderson is sent to the Pokémon world to stop a dimension travelling villain. But he doesn't know anything about Pokémon, and since he is one in human form, he must journey with a trainer in order to learn about the new world.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way.

**Dimensional Intervention

* * *

**

"**Prologue****, Bad Dreams"**

Friday night, 3:59 am…

_Trapped… like a rat. What made him go back to that forest? He looked at the giant bug that was almost __as tall as him, just a little shorter. Three things were clear to him that this wasn't 100 percent bug: Firstly, it was standing on its hind legs and only had four limbs, bugs have six. Secondly, the face was more like a reptilian's. And thirdly, what kind of bug has razor sharp blades instead of hands? _

_Nevertheless, it wanted to kill him, why he didn't know__. The blades the bloodthirsty insect possessed were ready to turn him onto ribbons, and blood would be spilled… his. But what's was worse was the way the creature cleaned its scythes, by licking them clean, and after his blood had soaked them, he would witness the cleaning once more before he died._

_The mantis like creature had had enough of seeing the human scared, it wasn't fun anymore. It was time for the kill, and it raised one of its deadly blades and brought it down… _

He shot up from his bed, sweating so much the bed was moist on where he had been sleeping.

"AAaah! What the hell was that kind of dream? I've had this one before once… oh well," he said to himself as he went to sleep.

Monday night, 3:18 am…

_He didn't know what to do; he was __cornered against the walls and this… flying beast was looking at him, smiling. It was hungry, and it knew its prey couldn't escape now. Why did he go to the canyon? WHY? He should have listened about what the officers said; that is was dangerous and forbidden to enter, but did he listen? NO! He slowly sat down on the rock floor, cowering, then he closed his eyes, waiting for the beast to devour him, he had given up all hope. All he heard was a loud screech…_

The same brown haired boy then woke up, his heart beating at a very rapid speed.

"Whoa! What a nightmare!" he said to himself again as he got up to drink some water. He walked into the bathroom to drink some water, and empty some other water. He flicked the light on and turned the water tip. Chill water emerged from the tip, and he drank some of it to calm himself down after that horrible nightmare.

When he finished drinking, he looked at himself in the mirror, his hair looked terrible; it was all up in knots. Well, he had himself to blame, his brown hair was a little longer than others; down to his neck. He grabbed a comb from the cupboard and tried to comb it, due to the semi long bushy hair the comb got stuck.

"Not this shit again, stupid comb!" he grunted as he tried to tear the comb off his hair, twisting it and making it get even more stuck. "Damn it all! Get off!" With one final pull, he gets it off him, losing a little hair in the progress. Looking himself in the mirror again, he started to comb his hair more carefully with a little more success.

After the comb ordeal, it was time to empty another water supply. He sat down on the toilet ring and let his other liquid run out. But, since it was somewhere in the middle of the night, he dozed off for a couple of minutes.

"_You fool!" a__ huge creature roared, angry at him. This flying creature was nothing like the one he saw before, this one was much larger. He was located in a whole another place too; it seemed to him that he was in a cave system under the ocean's bottom._

"_You __swore not to bring anyone else down here, and yet you did!" its voice boomed out again. He panicked in his brain, he hadn't brought the boy with black, spiked hair down here, the boy had _followed_ him even as he said not to. He knew that he was dead. _

_He __was also devastated; for more than a half month, he had been on a mission the creature had given him. The reward would be his freedom, since it had forced him to accept the mission since he had no other choice. He had succeeded, but thanks to that other boy, he had also broken the promise he gave the creature. And because of that, he surely was doomed._

"_B-but, oh mighty one, h-he fo-followed me, believe me, I, I wouldn't…" he said, scared out of his mind, trying to explain._

"_SILENCE!" the created shouted, the next thing he knew, was a strong, beam that was fired towards him._

He gasped as he woke up in the bathroom. He was still sitting on the ring, having finished emptying his unneeded vitamins. He was also hearing the sound of running water; he had forgotten to turn the water tip off after he had finished drinking the water. Nevertheless, he was relieved he hadn't wet his bed to the least.

'_Stupid nightmares… it's not like I've __watched some movie that have something like this involved. I'm not into B-movies!'_ he thought as he stood up and washed his hands. After he had washed them he went onto his room and fell asleep on the bed.

Two days later…

Why is Maths always so boring? All these numbers and diagrams make no sense! He put his right hand on the cheek and rested his elbow on the desk while writing with his left. Soon enough, he felt sleepy of boredom.

_He was locked up somewhere, li__ke in a prison cell or something. He wasn't alone, a guard watched him all the time pointing a gun towards him. How did he get in this mess? He had lost his friends because of this organization. He couldn't understand why he joined this organization in the first place, oh yes of course; he had to get some pieces of information about the new place and other stuff. But the leader of the organization had learned that he knew more than any human did. _

_They were going to interrogate him the next day. He had to escape, but how?__ Escaping from this Headquarter is almost impossible! He isn't some kind of action star or something! Suddenly the door to his cell was opened. One of the guards stood there, beckoning him to come._

"_Hey, you," he said first, but then grew irritated._

"HEY YOU!"

He snapped away from his strange daydream, seeing his Math's teacher looking at him sternly.

"I don't know what kind of class this is but it certainly isn't sleeping class!" he scolded.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the teen excused as he resumed to his working, now fully awake.

The next evening, the boy had been over at his friends' watching movies. Of course it ended up pretty late, but he managed to sneak inside his house without being noticed. He silently sneaked up to his room and changed into his pyjamas and went to sleep.

Hours later…

_It was over… how__ else should he picture it? Like a Game Over or something? This wasn't a game, there was no reset button! Anyway, he had been pinned down by his enemy, who held a black-purple coloured sword pointing at him._

"_My, my, my. It seemed that I won after all… as I said before; Evil always wins, since it never plays by the rules… don't you agree?" he asked, looking down at him. Next to his opponent stood another person, it was hard to identify both of them since it was pretty dark in the room. "Well? I'm waiting for an answer," he said impatiently._

"_You're not getting one either!" he snarled, he then pointed at the other person. "And you! I should've killed you when I had the chance!" That person simply laughed at that._

"_You're wrong! I should've killed you long ago, if I had done that, you wouldn't be such a nuisance today!" he said smirking, this person had been someone he had trusted for a long time… and now it had been revealed that he had been working against him all the time!_

"_So you're not willing to give me an answer? Oh well, I__ can take that as a yes. When you're dealt with there are no others! This world, and the others as well, is in my hands now, prepare to die, fool!" he boomed as he lifted the blade preparing to deliver the killing blow, the blade was glowing a blackish light, again… it was over… no continues…_

He was awakened by his mother.

"Get out of the bed!" she yelled, much stressed this morning. "You almost overslept! This was the last time you were up late watching movies with your friends!"

"Sorry, mum, I didn't mean to oversleep," he said as he checked the time on his alarm clock. It showed 7:50 am. "Ohshit! Why didn't it work this time?" He looked at his clock, noticing something. "Damn! I forgot to set the alarm!" He jumped out of the bed, dressed quickly, ignored eating breakfast, and ran to school as quickly he could.

_**End Prologue**_


	2. Monday Games

_**Chapter 1**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way.

Note to all readers: The main character is from Sweden, a land in northern Europe, and sometimes he will slip to his regular language. There will be translations at the end of each chapter, to avoid many sentences in Swedish in the prologue and first two chapters they are automatically translated. I'm using the Metric system for distances, speed, weight and volume because I'm used to that, but I'm also very good at the imperial one, mostly the length one.

"And stop making puns out of our names!" – Victor Jacobson.

* * *

"**_Monday Games"_**

_In an upper secondary school in the town of Stockholm, located in east of Sweden, two boys emerged from a classroom door, having finished their English lesson. The blonde boy was about 1.71 m tall, wore a plain sky blue polo shirt and a pair of beige shorts._

"That movie we saw yesterday was awesome!" Max told his friend, who had a familiar semi long brown hair that was a little scruffy this day. Last night they had been late up with Victor and Hans watching some movies.

"Nah, it seemed so… unrealistic… I mean, saving the world by yourself? A little naïve to me," he responded, looking at his friend strangely with his grey coloured eyes. Max sighed when he heard that.

"You know that it was a movie, it doesn't have to be real. Well, who knows anyway, if this world was in trouble, who'd save it anyway?" he said as he shrugged. Max's friend was as tall as himself, but Max had better combed hair that was more shiny thanks to some gel. He had known his friend since third grade when they were ten.

"Yeah, like that would ever happen," the other teen said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What's next on the schedule?" he asked as Max brought the paper up.

"Um… Maths I think," he said, "Have you done the homework we got last week, Bill?"

The brown haired teen, Bill, remained silent for a second. He had forgotten to do that homework.

"No! I forgot, why do I have to postpone the math homework every time? Stupid, stupid, stupid!" he clutched his grey green cap and threw it on the floor, taking out his anger by stomping on it. He picked it up and brushed the dirt off it by swatting it against his blue jeans. Then he remembered another terrible fact.

"Aw jeez! I forgot the books in the classroom! I knew it was something!" Bill slapped his forehead with both hands and started to run towards the room he had English in. _'Great! Why does everything bad happen to me this day? First I'm late Grammar class, then I get sauce spilled on my shirt during lunch, then it turns out I've forgotten to do the homework, and now this! If I'm late to the Maths, my teacher is going to kill me!"_ He panicked as he ran to the classroom where his books were. When he arrived to the door he knocked on it quickly to get in.

"Come in," someone said from inside, that was his English teacher. "Hey, the." He pointed at his head, referring to Bill's cap. He took it off as quickly as possible since he respected that teacher very much.

"Sorry, are my books in here? I think I've must've forgotten them here…" he asked, the teacher pointed at a pile of books. He smiled as he picked them up and was about to leave, when he was at the doorway he noticed that one of the boys was the one who was responsible of the spot on his shirt, Stephan Young.

Earlier this day, when they had been eating lunch, Stephan had pushed him on purpose so he got all the sauce on his pale red shirt, he couldn't pick a fight on an empty stomach… he really hated Mondays!

"Good thing those books aren't made of some wet ingredient, since you might spill it all over yourself," Stephan teased as some of his fellows laughed. Bill didn't seem to be able to take that but he needed to stay in control, with a red face he thanked the teacher and left the classroom.

'_That Stephan is going down today! That's for sure! Man, I'm already late!'_ he thought as he was running down the hall, heading for the Maths. What was worse, he hadn't done the homework he'd been assigned last week, this certainly wasn't his day. When he finally arrived to the he figured out that his classmates had already entered, showing that he would get a scolding for always being late to those classes. He knocked on the door and entered, the Math's teacher was glaring at him murderously.

"Late again, Bartholomeus?" he said, telling him by his real name. He disliked his real name, it was too long, and he really hated the name Bert, so he mostly went by the name Bill.

"Uh, yeah," he muttered, cringing under the voice of the teacher, "I forgot my books in the other classroom…"

"May I have your homework?" he requested. A pain of guilt showered all over Bill's body, he hated situations like these. "You haven't done it, have you?"

"No, I forgot to-" he started to make an excuse but was interjected by the teacher.

"That is no excuse, boy! Go and take your seat at once!" he ordered. Bill walked calmly to an empty desk and sat down on the chair and picked up his math books. When he opened the book he didn't saw numbers or equations, he saw German phrases and other stuff.

He looked at the book; he had brought the wrong book to the school. All because the two different books had the same colours, and due to that he was stressed in the morning, he had brought the wrong book. He began to sweat a little as he moved over to Max's side, peeking in his book.

"Um, Max. I, eh, forgot my book at home so do you mind if I could share your book?" he asked his friend, whispering of course.

"No sweat! You're on page fifty seven, right?" asked Max, who flipped the pages. Bill nodded.

After a tedious hour with Maths the two boys, along with their fellow classmates, emerged from the room, chatting about all trivia.

"So, Bill, how do you think the test will turn out like?" asked Max.

"I think he'll make it super hard so he can nag about the bad results later… what do you think?" Bill replied.

"The equations are pretty tough, but not impossible. Anyway, what are you going to do now? That was the last class we just had." Bill wasn't listening; he was looking at something else. He suddenly walked away from Max, heading for the door. Bill had seen Stephan at the other side of the door since there was a glass window on the upper part of it.

'_To bad for you that you had to stand right in front of the door, Stephan,'_ he thought as he advanced towards the door. When he was in front of it he kicked it open with all his might causing it to slam Stephan right in the face. When Bill looked down on the older boy, smirking, he spoke.

"That should teach you not to mess with me!" Stephan got up and noticed that his nose was bleeding.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled at the smaller boy who had slammed the door right on his nose. Stephan was older than Bill, he was about 1.86 m tall, had black-brownish hair that was covered by a dark blue bandana. He wore a black sweater and dark blue jeans. He advanced towards the smaller teen, pissed off.

Bill slowly got into fighting stance as the older teen approached.

"Are you trying to take _me_ on? You seriously don't know who you're dealing with, do you?" he snarled. He didn't know who Bill really was, Bill had a very hot temper and combined with a cocky and vengeful nature, he often ended up in a fight. Stephan got into his fighting stance, it was different from Bill's though, since he mostly fought in brawl unlike Bill who used his fists as the main style, but he wasn't that good.

"Well, I know that you're Stephan Young. And you only have the guts to fight people that are smaller than you, right?" he mocked. Stephan anger was rising. "But I won't let someone like you take me down!"

"Let's see about that!" said Stephan as he lunged at Bill, fist raised eager to wipe that smirk off the younger boy's mouth. Bill reacted quickly and sidestepped out of the way and delivered two fast punches in his opponent's face. Stephan staggered back a little after the two quick blows.

"You son of a…" he growled as he leapt towards him again, this time tackling him to the ground and started to punch Bill in the face. But Bill kept blocking the hits; his anger began to rise as Stephan sat on him trying to beat him up. He tried to kick Stephan on his back head a couple of times and eventually, he hit. While he was stunned Bill pushed him off and quickly got to his feet, raising his fists.

"You shouldn't have messed with me in the first place!" growled Bill as he charged forward. He attempted to punch Stephan in the stomach but he reacted quickly, he grabbed Bill's arm and twisted it around. He then forced him down on the floor, twisting it harder.

"Are you giving up now, you little shit?" Stephan triumphantly whispered in Bill's ear. The, now furious, boy elbowed the older one right in the face with his other free arm, making him let go. The spectators now saw that this fight was about to turn into a fight of life and death, and no one dared to stop it.

Bill faked a punch and kicked his opponent's right shin, quickly following up with an uppercut that connected almost perfectly under the chin. Stephan recovered quickly after that and grabbed Bill by his neck firmly and shoved him up a wall nearby. Since he had an advantage of being taller, he had a longer reach and therefore, Bill couldn't punch him in the face.

"Persistent little rat…" he mumbled as he started to punch Bill in the stomach repeatedly and mixed with some knees. The blows made the air of Bill's lungs exit very violently as the continual blows were delivered, the anger inside him didn't help anymore… he was too weak. Suddenly the grip around his neck loosened, the blows stopped coming, it was some of the older boys that had had enough of the fight and pulled Stephan away from Bill.

"You got lucky this time, Shorty! Next time you won't!" he yelled as his friends pulled him away.

"Speak for yourself, Youngster!" answered Bill through his heavy breaths. His friends came up to him and helped him to get up on his feet.

Later, Bill and his friends were just outside school. Previously, Bill had been called to the Principal's office to receive a yelling from the old man that he had been starting one too many fights lately. He even had the nerve to call Bill a no-good hoodlum! The jeans he wore today weren't ripped at all, he was with Max, Hans and Victor, and they were all gamers, though they had different tastes.

Hans Rehnquist was the typical study boy, his hair was red-brownish, and he had lots of freckles. He was the one who studied the most and often helped the other three with the homework. He liked strategy games very much, since he was very strategic. He was the shortest, but surprisingly, the oldest of the four.

Victor Jacobson was the sportier guy; he sported very much on his spare time when he wasn't playing games. He had black, very short hair and was the tallest of the four; he had a growth problem that caused him to grow very early and more unlike others, standing at 1.98 m tall. He mostly played shoot 'em ups and role playing games, but he wouldn't say no to some good old retro.

Max Hammerstrand, Bill's best friend, was the game freak of them all, though he mostly played Gameboy. Strategy and role playing games were his favourites. Bill Anderson was the, aggressive boy of the group, but he didn't fight his friends… he only did in a nice way. He liked fighting games, which must've been the cause of his temper, but he would prefer some role-playing too. He also had a bad sense of humour, very fond of bad puns. He didn't care if people liked them or not.

"You know, Bill, picking a fight with Stephan was very stupid," said Max. "You really need to chill out soon or you'll surely end up in a hospital."

"But you gotta admit that the door stunt was cool, he literally _fell_ for it!" Bill said out laughing.

"But seriously, Bill, Stephan is pretty strong… and kicking up a door right in his face-" started Hans but got cut off by Bill.

"He deserved it! You see my shirt? He was the one who caused it!" Bill protested.

"Wait, are you saying that you attacked him for that? That couldn't have been worth it!" said Victor. "And by the way, you could get expelled you know," he added.

Bill remained silent for a while, thinking. He had been into some fights lately this week, but it wasn't his problem that people liked to make fun of him? Or was it?

"Hey, Bill, what are you going to do now?" asked Max. Bill shrugged. "This was a pretty short day so let's hang out at my place and play some games. What do you say about that, guys?" Max continued.

"No I can't," said Hans. "I need to do some homework today but we could hook up a LAN and play some strategy games later, ok?" he asked.

"No problemo! We'll call you when we're ready! Is 9:00 pm ok?" suggested Max, Hans nodded and left. Max turned to the other two. "How about you guys? Are you coming?"

"I got nothing else to do," Bill said, looking at Victor.

"Me neither, I heard from Robert that the coach had called in sick, migraine or something," Victor said.

They all walked to Max's place, chatting about today's classes and homework, test that were coming up. Max didn't live to far from the school so they didn't have to walk for that long. When they arrived to Max's house, which was mostly white with a black roof, they went inside. They all walked up to Max's room where there was a TV, computer and various consoles, Max played a lot of games. They all sat down on the black sofa and started playing.

_(25 minutes later)_

"All right! I beat you again for the 9th time in a row!" Bill cheered happily; he had won over Max and Victor yet again. "Even though you were using 'MAXimum' power I still won! You were not VICTORious!" he continued, making fun of his friends' names. They had been playing a fighting game Bill had chosen and he was far better than the rest. But they had been playing a shoot 'em up game before where he got owned.

"Hey!" shouted Victor a little irritated. "Just because you only play those kinds of games! And stop making puns out of our names, Bartholomeus!"

Bill's happiness quickly faded into an annoyed look when he started to punch Victor's arm. Being almost 2 m tall, he had long reach, and grabbed the shorter teen in a headlock.

"Don't call me that!" he yelled, trying to get out of the headlock, but Victor gave him a noogie before letting him go. "Come on, one more match, so I can get my ten win streak!" he requested.

Max got up and shut the TV off. "Never! I'm fed up of losing. Hey, Victor, let's play some Pokémon! This time I'll beat you!"

Bill looked at them a little puzzled. "Pawkee-what?" he asked, he wasn't much into Gameboys. Max and Victor looked at him like he was a ghost.

"You don't know what Pokémon is? Jeez, what planet are you from?" Max asked.

"I'm from Earth, and no, I don't know what Pokémon is, you know that I don't like playing handhelds," said Bill.

"It's the coolest game on Earth, Bill," said Victor as he picked up his Blue Gameboy Pocket Colour form his bag.

"What the… you keep your Gameboy in your backpack?"

"Yes, I do, and I'm not worried of getting it stolen since who would take something from me?"

"Whatever," said Bill, rolling his eyes. He turned to Max. "So what's the game about then?" he asked curiously.

"It's all about catching Pokémon and training them and some even evolve. You start as a trainer who aspires to become the best in the world," Max explained.

"Uh huh, sounds simple…"

"But it isn't THAT simple actually, there are some nasty puzzles in the game too!" Victor added in.

"Of course, no straight-forward game is fun, but how come you have two different colours on the games?"

"Oh! That's two different versions, I have Gold and Victor's got Silver," said Max.

"Is there any difference?"

"Yes some Pokémon that are in the Gold version doesn't exist in the Silver version and vice versa,"

"And the rarity of some Pokémon," adds Victor.

"That's sounds kinda cool! Mind if you could just turn it on already?"

"Hey, cool down; let me connect some wires first," Max said, connecting a wire from his Gameboy to Victor's.

"What's that wire for?"

"Oh God, give me strength and patience, THIS wire enables Victor and me to play against each other…"

"Against? Don't you have a wire that enables you to play WITH Victor instead, like a team?"

Max slaps his forehead because of Bill's stupidity; Bill could be an idiot sometimes.

"Okay I get it; you're challenging him on a match, right?"

"Finally you understand, moron! If you could stop gloating over your previous victories, you should've known that I was challenging Victor from the start!" They all laugh at what Max said, they played and played while Bill was asking questions all the time like "What's that? How does it do that? Why? How? When?" And so on, the last question was.

"Why the hell have you been playing this game longer than the rest of them combined? It's so unfair! Anyway, I gotta go now, my mum will get pissed if I'm late for dinner, later!"

"Bye, Bill, and remember, LAN at nine o'clock sharp!" reminded Max while still playing against Victor, having the upper hand for the moment. Bill exited the house and headed towards his home.

* * *

_(In the Chamber of the Dimensions)_

"_Are you really sure this is the right one, master?" asked the younger one, he wore crimson clothes and had dark blue hair. The older one, who wore robes in various colours, nodded._

"_Yes, young one, that's the one," he said._

"_But he looks kinda… puny," the young one said in disagreement._

"_But he is the one from that dimension! And he seems to have great capabilities," the old one stated._

"_You said that about Zach Bark too, and what happened? He got vaporized by 'him'!"_

"_That was only because Zach refused to train! He let his vanity overcome him and he though that he was some kind of hero!" protested the old one. "And besides," he added, "he's the last of them."_

"_He is?" the young one wondered. "So if he dies, it's over, right?" The old one nodded. "Oh shit, we're doomed! There's no way that kid could do something about it."_

"_But he's the last hope, and don't judge the book by its cover," the old one said._

"_Oh well, shall I summon him here?" the young one asked._

"_Yes, but don't do anything wrong, and remember that you must do it when he's completely alone." The younger one nodded._

_As the young one walked away, he let out an evil smile, he loved doing this…

* * *

_

When he arrived at his home he went inside and was greeted by his mother, Lisa. She looked very upset.

"Um, his mum, what's wrong?" he asked. Lisa sighed.

"I heard you were in a fight again, Bartholomeus," she said, using his real name. Only his mother was allowed to use that name.

'_Darn! How did she know? The principal must've called home after I left,'_ he thought. "But he asked for it, mum, he just kept making fun of me!"

"That's no excuse, Bartholomeus! You know that you could get expelled if you don't stop this! Just because you father died doesn't mean you can act like some hoodlum!" she scolded. Bill flinched when she mentioned his dad's death.

Bjorn Anderson died two years ago in a traffic accident; Bill was close to committing suicide when he heard about it. Lisa's heart was shattered; her husband was gone so suddenly. The most prized possession Bill had was the stop watch his father gave him on his 13th birthday. First he didn't care that much about it but after he died, Bill had always been wearing that watch in his pocket.

The watch was an old watch that was round and the outer material was made of silver. It had a chain attached to it so he could keep it in a breast pocket where he could attach the chain to it. It had one button that was used to stop and start the timer, but it was a functional watch too. It also had a 'Bill' engraved on it. At least his father respected the fact that Bill wanted that name on it, and Bartholomeus wouldn't fit anyway. Good thing for him was that it worked as an ordinary watch.

"Why do you have to bring up dad's death, mum? You know I don't like it," said Bill a little sadly. Lisa looked at him for a while and sighed, going to the table.

She ignored that question. "You were late to dinner again, Bartholomeus, by the way. Next time you stop over by your friends at least give me a call!"

Bill sat down and ate the cooled down food that was the dinner, he didn't have any siblings and he was the only child in the family. It was silent while he was eating and his mother was looking at him, worried.

"Bartholomeus, you know as much as I do, that I'm just caring about you. Just don't get expelled from the school, I'm worried of your future."

"I know, mum, I know," answered Bill, "but I'm still doing well at school, though."

"I know that, but try to take it easy in the future, okay?" Bill nodded, he stared at the window for a while, looking out. He saw that it was going to darken soon.

"Mum, is it okay if I go out and watch the sunset?" he suggested.

"Alone?"

"Yes, I need to be alone for a while," he said. This was true, when he watched the sunsets he often felt better since it made him feel relaxed.

"Okay, you can go," she said.

"Thanks, I'll be back in two hours, I have my watch, ok?"

Bill walked out of the house and towards the beach, he loved to watch the sunset at the beach, it was so quiet and peacefully. When he arrived to the beach he took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air, and exhaled, it was totally free from people and it was just him, the sand and the sea.

"This is… so fantastic," he said as he looked at the sun, it was big and orange, it rays reflected in the water. Over the sun were some thin red clouds, which were coloured from the sun. He walked along the beach, the white sand was soft, and the soothing wind that blew on his face. He lay down at the sand, looking at the sun, which had descended halfway down the sea. He looked up to the sky; it was gorgeous how it was shifting in colours up there.

Then the wind blew harder, but not that much harder, and Bill had to cover his eyes so he didn't get too much sand in his eyes. As the wind blew, the white sand was whirling around, dancing in the wind. When the wind gusts died down, Bill noticed a book that had been hidden under the sand, it looked like it was very old, but it had the size of an A4 paper and it was very thick, like 500-600 pages.

'_What the heck? How could someone forget a book that big _here_? How could someone be so careless?'_ he thought, picking up the book blew of the thin layer of sand that was on the cover.

"What the _hell_?" he said to himself; he was surprised by the title of the book

"**Dimensional Intervention"**

"The Story of the Unknown Pokémon"

By: Billy Anthony

"_What a coincidence that the same day I for the first time hear the name "Pokémon" and finding a book with the title containing that word too!"_ he thought, but when he looked at the author's name his heart started to beat faster. _"What's this? That sounds a lot like my name. Creepy, maybe I should peek in it and see what it's about." _

He looked at his stop watch_. "Hmm, one hour left, I could read a little, and then I could give it to Victor and Max so they have something fun to read."_ He opened the book, the pages were thicker than today's books, but there was something that wasn't usual, the pages were blank! _All_ of them! No wonder why the owner 'forgot' the book!

He closed the book and looked at the sun again, it was gone. It had gone under the sea. It began to get dark, fast. He stood up, brushed off the sand from his clothes and looked back at the book, but now there were five more words on the bottom of the cover, the text was written with the old, middle-aged style letters and they were glowing yellow.

_Open it,_

_Look into it_

As he still was curious about the book he decided to take one last look in the book, but one thought rushed through his head.

"_What kind of book _is_ this? I mean, it looks old and Pokémon is new, it doesn't fit together? Anyway here goes!"_ He opened the book again and noticed some more text, which also was in the middle-aged style, on the first page.

'_Before the boy left the beach he decided to take a last look into the book. He picked it up to examine it one more time, little did he know that another world would never be the same…'_

Bill got scared, it was like the book referred to _him_, and he began to breathe faster and began to sweat. He'd had enough of this book so he decided to close it, but it wouldn't close, it was like some force was holding it open. The book got bigger and bigger and even _bigger_! Bill was scared out of his mind, it was like a nightmare, and then every thing went white…

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

**A/N**

So this was the first remake of my story, I fused the first two chapters together. This chapter was a little shorter than the other two combined but some parts were taken away (Jan Karp was deleted). But you know, the story gets better in the future chapters. And I know that Bill isn't a Swedish name but I really couldn't come up with another one, though.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter better and the next one is slightly updated. You can review… if you want to. Or, if you got the guts, giving me a heck of a flame/Constructive critique you coward!


	3. The New World, and the First Encounter

**_Chapter 2_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way.

**Note:** From now on Bill will sometimes speak Swedish. However his thoughts will still be in English. Translations can be found at the bottom of the page! Oh, and I choose English as the main language in the Pokémon World, just so you know. And he doesn't speak English with Swedish accent!

Dialogue Key.

"Normal Talk"

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic Talk"_

"Now look here, you psychic psycho, who or what are you?" – Bill Anderson

* * *

"**_The New World and the First Encounter"_**

Bill was lying in a grass field in the middle of nowhere, still sleeping. He'd had a terrible trip through that portal, it felt as he was going to split in two, or worse, being atomized or something. When he finally woke up, he tried to stand up but fell down again because of the low blood pressure he had after sleeping.

'_Where am I?'_ He looked around only to see green grass almost everywhere. _'How did I get here?'_ he though for himself, then he remembered the book at the beach._ 'Impossible! I can't be in a book! That's scientifically impossible!'_ He stood up again to look around the plains a little more, he couldn't find anyone, all he could see was grass, no trees, just plain green grass.

'_What the? Where's my cap? I must have dropped it somewhere… maybe I dropped it while I was transported. I wonder where it ended up,"_ he thought while he looked for the cap. He hated to expose his hair to much nowadays, but it seemed that he had to get used to it.

"Hallå? Är det någon här?" he shouted in Swedish, not knowing where he was. "HALLÅÅ!" The wind howled, the breeze was a little cold. Bill began to get homesick, how will he get home from here? _'Oh no, the game!'_ he thought of the promise he made to Max when he left, now he had missed the LAN game they had been planning. Then he thought of his mum, and picked up his watch, looking at the time. It was 11:25 am.

'_Oh crap! Mum is going to kill me when I get home; I'm about 13-14 hours late! Okay, she will not kill me, but I will be grounded for weeks!'_ he thought. He was worried about his mum, what if he _died_? She wouldn't take it, she couldn't lose another one. He sighed, and continued to walk; he hoped that he would reach a civilization or town eventually.

"_STOP RIGHT THERE, HUMAN!"_ a voice boomed in Bill's mind, he jumped up in surprise.

"Va, öhh vem, jag?" Bill looked around, but he couldn't find anyone. But he knew that whatever it was, it knew he was a human. "Men var i helvete är du då?" he shouted. _'Wait a minute, didn't he speak in English? It seems that English is the main language here, good thing I can speak it well,'_ he figured out, still wondering where the voice came from.

"_LEAVE THIS PLACE IMMEDIATELY, HUMAN, OR I WILL MAKE SURE THIS WAS THE LAST PLACE YOU'VE EVER SET YOUR FOOT ON!" _the voice boomed in Bill's head again, surprising him again.

"But I don't know how I got here in the first place and I don't even know what this place is!" Bill answered; feeling stupid as he talked to what he thought was thin air.

"_THIS, MORTAL, IS MY HIDEOUT ISLAND FROM YOU HUMANS! AND SOMEHOW YOU HAVE FOUND IT!" _Bill didn't know what "it' talked about, and he was tired of this… whatever it was, who was speaking through his head!

"Hey, if you could bother showing up already so I could talk with you face-to-face, but since you seem to be scared of me I understand why you're hiding from me!" said Bill, arms stretched out.

There was a short pause of silence.

"_Look behind you,"_ the voice said, not with the booming voice it used before, this time it was more normal.

A chill went down his spine. He turned around, slowly, to see who, or what, was making fun of him. When he turned around he saw a cat-like creature about a half a metre distance from him that stood on its hind legs, arms crossed. On each hand it had three fingers, all of them having ball-like tops. It was about 2 m tall and had very short, pale purple, almost whitish fur covering its body, except for the stomach and tail, which was darker purple. It looked straight into Bill's eyes with its own purple eyes.

Bill, however, got shit scared when he saw him. He jumped back a few metres and landed on his rear end, back-pedalling a little before stopping

'_How did it manage to get behind me so close without me noticing it?'_ he thought, still looking at its icy glare.

"_Easy! I just teleported to the location right behind you, mortal." _it answered. Bill was astonished.

'_Did that… thing read my thoughts?'_ he thought as he stood up.

"_Yes indeed, mortal, I'm psychic,"_ it said, smirking. Bill was getting tired of being called 'human' and 'mortal'.

"So that's how you 'speak' with your mouth closed!" It nodded, still smirking.

"_You catch on fast, human, you can be taught after all!"_ Bill had had enough.

"Now look here, you psychic psycho, who or what are you?" Its smirk disappeared. It looked at Bill with a look that could kill.

"_You really want to know that? Do you think you could handle it?"_ Bill just looked at it, arrogantly.

"Well, if you want me to address you as "Freak of Nature" instead, it's fine with me." It narrowed its eyes; it didn't want a human to insult it like that.

"_If you are so eager to know how insignificant you really are after I'm done with you, I can tell you my name."_

"About time! Jeez!" Bill was pissed off at this moment. This bastard was going _down_!

"_I am going down?' _It chuckled, uncrossing its arms and clenched its fists._ "I am the strongest being on this planet… _Mewtwo_!"_

* * *

_(Chamber of the Dimensions)_

"_How did the summoning go, young one?" the old one asked._

"_It, ehh, started out well, but, ehh," the young one stammered, things hadn't got quite right._

_The old one looked at the young one sternly. "What happened? Did he die?"_

"_No! I think I made some mistake, Master, he wasn't summoned here…" The young one looked down._

"_Where did he appear? Tell me, young one, WHERE!" The old one got worried. What if the boy got killed, he was their last hope, and the world of dimensions too._

"_I, I don't know, but I'm sure it was in the Pokémon dimension!" the young one stammered, scared._

"_YOU FOOL! Do you know what you've done? You've sent in a boy from the Earth dimension to the Pokémon dimension! He could get killed easily; he doesn't have any knowledge about Pokémon! Didn't you see that when he was with his friends before? he bellowed, seeing the young one cover his face in fear._

_The old, hooded man sighed at the sight. "But we must look for him, I use the scanner this time, seeing that you might do something wrong!" The old one rushed to a very futuristic-like control panel, it had many buttons on it. He pushed some buttons and the machine began to search._

"_Now, it will take a while to find him." He turned away from the machine and stared at the young one angrily. "This was the last time I allowed you to summon anyone, you know that, young one?" the young one said while rubbing his chin, thinking._

"_But, Master, wasn't he the last one we could summon?" The old one sighed, remembering that Bill was the last one. "You old fool," the young one muttered under his breath._

_Suddenly the machine beeped, the young one rushed to check where Bill was._

"_Don't touch it!" the old one yelled at the young one. "You might break it." The old one looked at the machine. "Hmm, he's on an island. It's uninhabited and… OH NO!" he suddenly shouted._

"_What? Is there something wrong?" The young one asked, trying to get a peek at the screen._

"_Yes! Do you want to know where you sent him? You sent him to Mewtwo's hidden island!" The old one said, the young one gasped in fear._

"_But he's still alone, isn't he. Mewtwo hasn't found him yet or?" He questioned, he was scared, and if Bill died he knew it was _his_ fault. 'Well, I hope it has…" he thought evilly._

"_Wait, I'll try to get a close up." The old one presses some buttons and the screen loads for a while. When it was ready it showed Bill in fighting stance, looking another Pokémon in the eyes, saying something. That Pokémon…was Mewtwo, whose eyes started to glow blue of anger._

"_This……is bad," the old one stated, the young one sat down on the floor. "Today's youth," he sighed._

'_This is better than I thought,' thought the young one, smiling on the inside._

* * *

(On the plains) 

"Mewtwo, eh?" Bill glared at it, "a Psychic, Psychotic Experimental Failure is more like it!" That comment strikes Mewtwo's nerves, its eyes began to glow blue in anger. But one thing was in its head; how could this human know that it was an experiment of that wretched crime organization Team Rocket.

Then it hit it, this human could have been playing stupid all the time to trick, or delay it so his friends could capture it again. The thought of it made it even angrier; this insolent little boy didn't deserve a quick death! He would have a slow and painful one.

"_Do you think you made a wise move, mortal? Delaying me by playing stupid so your friends from that wretched organization Team Rocket could come and re-capture me?" _it menacingly said.

"_But that won't work, you fool, I will personally make sure that you witness the destruction of your friends and then I will give you the most painful death you could ever imagine!" _The voice was echoing in Bill's head, especially the word _death_ and _painful_ kept echoing.

It was not only that Mewtwo's eyes were glowing blue that scared him even more, but also that it threatened to kill him, maybe he shouldn't have said that. It sounded very serious, but what did it meant with that organization?

"Hey, wai-wai-wait a minute, what is this Team Racket organization you speak of?" Mewtwo looked at him, its eyes glowing brighter. Suddenly a blue light surrounded Bill, he couldn't move. He was lifted up in the air slowly and he floated towards Mewtwo, when he stopped floating forward he was dangerously close to Mewtwo. He was scared of his life; he didn't know what would happen next.

"_Don't try to play stupid again! It won't work anymore; you might as well give up!"_ It gave him the icy glare which made him shiver in fear.

Bill was scared, and it enjoyed seeing him scared. He was shaking in fear; he didn't have a clue of what this Mewtwo was saying. He felt the fear turn into panic, and his heart was beating at a high rate.

"But I'm not playing stupid! Why won't you understand? I have no FUCKING IDEA WHERE THE HELL I AM!" he screamed out loud, breathing hard. Mewtwo was still looking him in his eyes, like if it was scanning him. Then it finally spoke.

"_You're right, human, maybe I was a little too rash…"_ Bill sighed in relief.

"_But that doesn't mean I won't kill you! Why? Because of all that disrespect you gave me a while ago!"_ Mewtwo threw Bill about five metres away using his psychic powers. He quickly got up, noticing that he was bleeding on his right shoulder.

"_But I will give you a fair chance, if you manage to run away from me, you're free to go,"_ it added. It knew that it was impossible for any human to run away from it, or even hide. It just wanted to play around with Bill before killing him.

"Run… away?" he says to himself, looking down thinking. Then he jerked his head up, glaring at the feline. "Hell no! No way am I going to die running, you freak!" He wiped some blood from his shoulder with his left hand. He looked at his bloody hand, clenching it into a fist, glaring into Mewtwo's eyes. "I'd rather _die_ fighting!" he snarled, charging towards Mewtwo.

Mewtwo was astonished of what Bill said. But of course, it knew that this boy wouldn't stand a chance against the great Mewtwo.

As Bill charged he planned to punch Mewtwo in the face, wiping that smirk out of its face. But when he punched it, he felt a force knocking him back. Mewtwo couldn't help but laugh.

"_Pathetic! Maybe you should change your mind?"_ Bill growled and jumped up, trying to kick Mewtwo in the face. Useless, this time the psychic grabbed Bill with its psychic powers and made him flip around in the air before lightly tossing him away.

Mewtwo chuckled lightly at the sight of the human's fall on the ground. It wondered how much longer it would play around with the fool before finishing him.

"_You still have time to run away, human!"_ It still stood there with its arms crossed and laughed at his worthless efforts to harm it. It found this to be very amusing, it continued to laugh at Bill, who was extremely pissed off. He already knew that he'd die anyway, but he really hated this freak. And Mondays, if it was Monday, that is.

"NEVER!" screamed Bill, attempting to charge again, but before he charged he felt his body being energized. Was this a trick of Mewtwo's? He closed his eyes and waited for something to happen, he felt stronger.

He opened his eyes and charged again, but instead he stopped little before he could reach Mewtwo. While standing still he kicked three times in the air, low-middle-high, and then something strange happened. When Bill finished his third kick everything froze for a second.

He saw that his left foot was shining cyan and it looked like the orb was charging up. When it completed to charge he spun around, jumping up, performing a spin kick. Out of the foot came a round, cyan energy shot, about half the size of Bill, that struck Mewtwo right in the chest, it broke through the psychic shield and knocked it back 7-9 metres!

"Whoa! How the hell did I do THAT?" Bill was amazed of what he had pulled off, but he felt like his power had drained. Mewtwo however, wasn't amused anymore.

It was pissed!

"_I have absolutely no clue on how you did that, human, but now I will not hold back anymore, you will regret what you did!" _Mewtwo dashed forward in lightning speed, grabbing Bill by its psychic powers, shaking him around a little as if he was a rag doll.

"_As I thought, useless!"_ it hissed. Bill was kicking in the air trying to release himself from Mewtwo's grip. _"Go ahead and squirm, mortal, it won't do you any good,"_ it said darkly, clenching its fist. Bill suddenly found it hard to breathe, it felt like his body being pressed together, after a while he started to choke.

He kept kicking violently in the air, before his body turned stiff. This was certainly another trick from Mewtwo. Suddenly the grip loosened a little, opening up the air supply. He gasped for breath as the feline brought him closer to it, so close that their heads almost touched each other.

"_You never knew who you were dealing with, did you?"_ it said, giving him another icy glare.

"It's more like _what_ I was dealing with, you stupid cat!" he snarled, trying not to show any fear. It widened its eyes in anger and cut off Bill's air supply again, making him gag and gasp for air. It then threw him away a distance and began to charge up a purple ball of some odd kind of electricity.

"_I have had enough of that insolence of yours, human! It ends now!"_ it snarled, building up the power.

Bill had gotten up and looked at the ball dumbfounded. "What's that?"

"_This, mortal, is your gateway to hell, the Shadow Ball!"_ Mewtwo threw the Shadow Ball at Bill. The ball travelled at amazing speed towards Bill, he didn't have any time to dodge it so he got hit right in the chest. He felt electricity combined with some strange power surge through his body, it hurt, and he was thrown back several metres.

"Jävlar, den tog," he whined as he tried to stand up, coughing, "shit, jag känner mig helt… snurrig… och svag." He finally stood up, though he was very dizzy and couldn't stand up straight. The ball had drained most of his energy.

He saw Mewtwo approaching, floating towards him slowly. Bill was then struck in the face by Mewtwo's large tail and he fell to the ground, it felt like he was hit by a whip. The lash hadn't torn up any of the flesh but it still hurt like hell. He didn't want to bother trying to stand up again.

When he opened his eyes he saw Mewtwo looking down at him, smiling. Mewtwo began to charge another Shadow Ball, smiling maliciously.

"You're a psycho, you know that, Mewtwo?" Bill said weakly.

"_No, I'm a psychic, and soon you're dead……Bartholomeus Anderson!"_ Mewtwo prepared to throw the Shadow Ball at Bill. He snarled inside when he heard it say his real name.

"Wait! May I ask you one last question?" he begged.

"_It wouldn't hurt to hear your last words."_ Mewtwo waited for Bill's question; suddenly he began to laugh a little.

"Mewtwo, can you speak without using your psychic abilities? Or… did the cat got you tongue?" Bill started to laugh madly, showing hints of insanity, mixed with fear. Mewtwo couldn't take anymore of what this human said. It jumped up and, with all its might, threw down the Shadow Ball at Bill.

Bill looked as the ball of death closed in, everything went slow-motion. When the Shadow Ball hit, an inhuman scream where heard…

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

**Translations:**

Hallå? Är det någon här? – Hello? Is there anybody here?

HALLÅÅ? – HEEEYY! (Another meaning in here)

Va, öhh vem, jag? – Wha , uhh who, me?

Men var i helvete är du då? – But where the hell are you?

Jävlar, den tog. – Damn, that one took (a lot of damage to me.).

Shit, jag känner mig helt snurrig och svag. – Shit, I feel all dizzy and weak.

* * *

**A/N**

So, this was the second chapter, hope you liked it. A note on Bill's 'Special' Move, when he starts the charge-thingy everything pauses for a second. Just to point that out.


	4. Why Me?

Chapter 3 

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way.

**Note:** As you might notice, this chapter will explain why's and how's. Just because Bill battled Mewtwo in the last chapter it doesn't mean he's some kind of über-strong character! He caught Mewtwo off-guard, ok? Now, as you can see this chapter will involve a lot of talking. There will also be some rants about "Chosen One" and such, just please don't get the wrong idea. Oh well, maybe I DO lack imagination… anyway, enjoy!

As for answering reviews here I go!

"But it was an accident!" – The young one

* * *

"**_Why Me?"_**

The smoke cleared from the impact of the Shadow Ball. Grinning, Mewtwo floated down and landed next to Bill. It looked down at the lifeless body with disgust, sighing.

"_A pitiful sight, he was stronger than I thought. But what did he meant with that he didn't know where he was? Did someone bring him here? Why?"_ it wondered. But it was also satisfied of killing this insolent kid, calling it all that kind of things! He didn't deserve to live anyway.

Suddenly Mewtwo noticed that Bill was still breathing, weakly, but still breathing.

"_Impossible! How could he…?"_ It calmed down, smiling maliciously. _"Ha! He's dying anyway. I promised him a slow death, so there he has it!_ Mewtwo had had enough looking at the dying body. It teleported away, leaving Bill to die.

In Bill's mind everything was big room of darkness; the only thing he heard was the wind blowing. He thought he was going to die, now that he knew he was on an isolated island with that… Psychic, Psychotic, Experimental Failure. When he thought about it he still wondered what word that set Mewtwo off.

He could take away Psychic, and Psychotic. It had to be Experimental Failure, or just Experimental.

And what was that Team Racket, or Whacked organization it spoke about? It could be a crime organization.

When he though about the crime organization and what he called Mewtwo, He finally understood.

Of course! This Team Racket must've been doing some experiments on Mewtwo, the thought made Bill angry.

'_If I survive this, I need to investigate Team Racket some more.'_ Then he couldn't breathe, he thought it was going to end. But as he struggled to breathe, he heard something that had appeared next to him, was it Mewtwo? He opened his eyes weakly to see who, or what it was in his presence, it was a cloaked figure. Everything went white

_(Up in a strange room)_

"Master! You're back," the young one greeted the old one.

"Yes, and I brought the boy here too!" the old one said, proudly.

"Where am I? Is this heaven?" Bill said weakly, being able to breathe again.

"I found him dying on the plains. Good thing Mewtwo left him to die, so I could come down and get him!" the old one said to the young one, ignoring Bill's question.

"Is it too late to heal him?" the young one asked.

"No, fortunately, there's still time," he said as he turned to Bill and began to chant. A pink-white light enveloped Bill.

"Are you God?" asked Bill, not having any idea where he was. "Whoa, I don't feel any pain anymore." Bill felt stronger, as the old one healed him. When he was fully healed, he stood up, a little dizzy.

"The… healing… is complete!" the old one panted, the healing process had taken a bit of his power.

"Now I want to get something cleared up here!" Bill looked at the two, beings that had brought him here. "Why am I here, how can I be in a book, how did you just appeared out of nowhere and took me here and why didn't you saved me while I was fighting this psychic freak?" Bill had no clue where he was or who he was talking to.

"Shut up! And sit down!" the young one shouted. Bill sat down immediately, scared that he might get in trouble again.

"First of all," the old one began to explain, "You are here because you are the one of your dimension who must fight the evil one who currently resides in one of the other dimensions. Unfortunately we don't know which one, but it's probably one that he can hide in for the moment,"

"Must? What do you mean must? Man, this certainly isn't my day!" Bill was very confused by what this elder said.

"You see, we need you to do this, and that is why we summoned you here," the old one informed.

Bill just got upset, "You want _me_ to do this? If you want me to defeat some guy you're talking to the wrong person, do it yourself!" he exclaimed. "And what is this evil dude doing that is so bad, old man?"

"Show some respect to someone who's saved your life!" the old one's voice boomed. Bill flinched at the old man's voice. "We can't do this since we're the guardians of the Chamber of the Dimensions, if we die, the chamber is left unguarded!" he finished.

Bill calmed himself down, understanding most of it. "But what is so bad with this evil dude? I can guess he kills people, but isn't that a job for the government?"

The old one sighed. "Listen carefully, "he" has powers that are beyond your fantasy, and he uses them by travelling through various dimensions and causes havoc in them. Bill, this is very dangerous, although he hasn't touched your dimension yet, but if you refuse to do this, your world will be put in danger."

Bill wasn't paying much attention, the elder's words seemed to enter his ear and exit through the other one. "Anyway, if this is the Chamber of the Dimensions, how come I'm in a book? And how do you know my name?" he inquired.

"You are not in a book; it was simply a portal which should have led you here, and we have been watching you for a while, and we know you don't like to be called by your real name." Bill raised his hand, asking for a question.

"But how come I appeared in a plain all alone with that…psychic cat freak?" he asked.

"Oh, that was caused by a mishap by the young one," said the old one, glaring at the young one. "Instead of you appearing here he somehow, by mistake, sent you directly to the Pokémon World, not knowing where."

"But it was an accident!" he protested, noticing that Bill was glaring at him too.

"And for your third question: We can't come down and bring you back here if anyone/anything sees it, you were lucky Mewtwo left you to die alone," the old one finished.

"I would like to see its face when it learns I'm still not dead!" Bill chuckled. "But if I'm the chosen one, does that explain why I did that strange attack against Mewtwo?"

"Ah, yes!" The old one was impressed that Bill had learned such a powerful move so early. "As you see, you're the chosen one of your dimension, no one else in your dimension can acquire that power you have here," the old one explained. "And that is why you're brought here too, you will be sent to the world of Pokémon."

"What?" Bill exclaimed, totally flabbergasted. "But Pokémon is just a game! How could-"

"Not everything is what it seems, and besides, it is the best place for you to train in," interjected the old one. "And among three other dimensions, it is the only one where you can gain your power." Bill sighed and looked down in guilt; he hated to carry such responsibility.

"Why me? I have absolutely _no_ knowledge about Pokémon! Why couldn't it be someone else? Like Max or Victor? They know a lot of Pokémon!" Bill sighed, if he really _was_ the chosen from his dimension, and he had to live with it. "Okay I understand, so now I'll be one of those guys who acts like heroes and saves the world, right?" The old one nodded. "Man, I feel like a moron, but I guess I'll have to do it…" he twitched at the thought.

"It's good that you have accepted what you must do, some of the others were more stubborn than you…" the old one started, but Bill interrupted him.

"Others? What do you mean others? If there were others, how come I'm here then?" Bill got suspicious, if there were others, why did they choose him?

"Oh, that is because…" the old one hesitated.

The young one stepped forward.

"It's because they were _killed!_" Bill gasped, did the others got killed? How would he handle this, his self-confidence was pretty low. The others must have been stronger.

"You fool! You weren't supposed to tell him that!" the old one shouted, hysteric. What if Bill refused to do this task? "In case you didn't know, there were six other fighters who were chosen to fight, but alas, they were killed, one after another. Are you still willing?

"Well, if I'm the seventh, which is the lucky number, I might as well do it," the teen said. "But why didn't you bring everybody from every dimension here at the same time?" he added suspiciously.

"We can't bring more than one at the same time, it is impossible for us to freeze two dimensions at the same time!" objected the old one.

"What do you mean freeze, I know it can get pretty cold back home but not THAT cold!" Bill said stupidly.

"Wouldn't your friends get worried if you disappeared for a couple of weeks, months or even years?" said the old one.

"Oh no!" Bill suddenly thought of his mom, she was going to ground him for months now! He picks up his stop watch; it had expired another 2 hours after the stopping time. "Great! Now I'm 15 hours late!"

"Let me explain, bringing someone from his/her dimension freezes it. No one can enter the dimension, not even "he" can do that, so you could consider your world safe."

"Now that's a relief." Bill pockets his watch. "Another question by the way, the Pokémon World is populated with people right?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" The old one wondered.

"And most of them catch Pokémon? Then if I'm able to use these strange attacks like the… what was it called?" Bill rubbed his chin, thinking.

"Sonic Kicks 1000, I believe?" The old one asked.

"How do you know? Oh, of course, you watched me battle, didn't you?" The old one nodded. "Anyway, back on the subject, if I use the 'Sonic Kicks 1000', wouldn't anyone get suspicious?"

"Bill, you must not expose your ability, and that is because… you are a Pokémon!"

"WHAT!" Bill was flabbergasted by this. He, a Pokémon? He must be dreaming, he pinched his arms to make sure if it was a dream or not! No, he didn't wake up; this was sooo not cool; is he supposed to be some stereotyped hero?

"Bill, I'm sorry for not telling you this before, but you are a Pokémon. Fortunately, it is hard to trap you in a pokéball even when you're weak, the only threat is the Master Balls though, and you must be very strong to escape those balls," the old one warned.

"But, it's almost impossible for me to hide my abilities!"

"No it isn't. You can transform into human to hide your abilities, be warned, that you can't use your abilities when in human disguise. You can, though, use a _very_ few attacks when human which will not cause suspicion." Bill nodded.

The old one continued, "also, if something would get wrong you could use the Blackout Blast on the ones who saw you, it erases all of their memories seeing you as a Pokémon, they will still know you if you have befriended them."

"So you mean that if I use the Blackout Blast, they will forget that I'm a Pokémon?"

"In summary, yes. But you must be aware of that you can only use it once per human to be safe, repeated uses may cause memory loss… permanently," warned the old one.

"Well, that'd suck for that idiot if he tried to catch me more than once. But wait! What if I die?" Bill asked, shivering.

"The dimension you are from will alter so you were never born…"

"Oh, that's harsh!" Bill thought for a while, wondering if he should accept the task or not. "I accept, seeing that I have no other choice, and that I can't fight destiny. Oh, the question about the other ones! I didn't get an answer, how did the other ones die?" The old one looked at the young one, who spoke.

"Well, three of them got killed by "him", two by "his" assistants, and the last one by a natural cause."

"What did you mean with "his" assistants? Weren't "he" alone?" asked Bill, confused.

"Well, when "he" finds out where the fighter is, "he" forms an army of evil Pokémons that "he" sends after him/her. The kinds of Pokémon are usually those which are strong against that particular fighter. And when the one from that dimension is killed, "he" kills "his" assistants too since there are not needed anymore," the young one informed.

"That's inhuman! That's cruel!" Bill was furious, did this evil, whatever it was, use Pokémons for his use, and then killing them off? That was something like treachery!

"Of course! "He" is pure evil!"

"That bastard is going DOWN!" Bill growled, how could someone be so, so… evil and cruel?

"You do remember when you last said that? You were almost killed!" The young one looked angrily at Bill._ 'Though you were lucky, you weakling!'_ he thought to himself. "Do you know that "he" can kill you just by looking at you?"

"Okay, okay. I just get so pissed of because of the fact "he" uses other Pokémons for "his" purpose, and then "he" kills them?" Bill calmed down, taking some deep breaths. "So, when will I begin my quest?" _'God, I just felt like some stereotypical, clichéd hero!'_ he though with disgust.

"Not yet! You must train first!" the old one said.

"What? Jeez, well anyway, where will I train then?"

"Follow me; you need to control your powers. You must learn how to use it properly," the old one looked at Bill's somewhat skinny body. "You also need to become stronger…"

"What the…? Are you judging me by my looks? Just because I look weak, it doesn't mean I am!" Bill got a little angry at the old one.

"Calm down, Bill, I didn't mean it that way. Now we need to go into the basics; first you need to learn how to transform from Human to Pokémon and vice versa."

"But the 'Sonic Kicks 1000' attack I used on Mewtwo, I didn't realized I was transformed then, how come?"

"You were enraged when Mewtwo was making fun of you," the old man started, "thus making you exceed your limits in your human body, transforming you," he finished.

"Uh-huh, that explains why I felt so energized all of a sudden, though I felt drained after the attack. By the way, what is your name, Master?" Bill felt stupid because he didn't know the name of the old one.

"Oh, pardon me for not introducing myself and my assistant, I am Tchang Zahn, and this is André Harrison." The young one's name made Bill giggle a little.

"What? Is there something funny about my name, eh?" André asked, fuming a little.

"No, I just think it's odd that your names are so different…" Bill tried to stop the giggling.

"Shall we get on the training or not, Bill?" Tchang asked.

"Oh, sorry, Master Zahn, I'm ready!" Bill followed Tchang into a training room.

"Now, in order to transform, you need to relax all of your senses, put your hand together and close your eyes. Now do so." Tchang instructed Bill. When Bill relaxed and closed his eyes, Tchang continued, "now to transform into a Pokémon, take a deep breath and whispered "Pokémon" slowly." Bill put his hands together, took a deep breath, and whispered "Pokémon", it didn't go well since he whispered it to fast.

"Nothing happened, Master Zahn," Bill said, disappointed.

"You were stressing it, try again." Bill relaxed and closed his eyes, he put his hands together, and he took a deep breath and whispered "Pokémon" slower this time. This time Bill felt something change in him; it felt like he was charging up, like that attack he did on Mewtwo and he was glowing white too.

"Great. Now try to transform back into human. Do the same process except whisper "Human" instead." Bill relaxed, took a deep breath and whispered "Human" slowly, he felt something cold rush over him, he felt more like normal and a reddish aura surrounded him

"Impressive, I must say, not many have learned to change forward and back so fast," Tchang remarked.

"Uh-huh, how long did they last then?" Bill asked. Tchang looked down, sighing.

"They lasted until some of them were foolish enough to take on "him" to early… or it was "he" who found them."

"So… if I'm in human shape and hanging out with friends and I get into trouble ending up in very bad condition, what will happen then?"

"Then the Pokémon powers in you might reveal themselves by healing you or even auto-transforming you into a Pokémon, that's how you survived back there."

"Bah, you were lucky!" André yelled from the outside.

"Don't mind him; I think he's a little sour because he messed up the transportation of you," said Tchang, sighing.

"So now that I know how to transform, what next?" asked Bill, eager to know what he's capable of.

"First you must know that, in the beginning and in human form, you're as weak as a little puppy…"

"But, Master Zahn, the 'Sonic Kicks 1000'? Wasn't that a powerful attack?" Bill interrupted.

"That was your strongest attack in that stage of your strength, weren't you exhausted after you performed the attack?"

"Well, I was kinda tired after I used it, but I was also amazed."

"Let's train, shall we?" Tchang said.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Now, a reminder, those attacks you execute that charges are more known as your 'Super Assaults', and those take time to learn, your 'Sonic Kicks 1000' was learned surprisingly quick for a rookie. You also have regular attacks, and I'm quite sure they are Ember, Tackle, Mega Punch/Kick and Sonic Kicks."

"Wait! Sonic Kicks? Is that just the three kicks?"

"Yes, it serves as a diversion, but it's also very fast. Now, some opponents you will face will be fast, you need to concentrate only on fighting, nothing else." Bill nodded. Tchang continued, "If you concentrate on other things, you will be defeated, or even worse, _killed!_" Bill shuddered at the thought.

"Now, you will need a sparring partner, and since there are only you, André and me here, I will be your sparring partner."

"Wow, that's an honour, Master Zahn! But how do I use Ember? Since it's my only elemental attack, I'm sure it isn't executing by throwing a punch." Bill was curious how it would look like when he shot out fire.

"First…… you must transform into your Pokémon form," said Tchang. Bill rubbed the back of his head, smiling stupidly.

"Eh, ops, forgot…" Bill relaxed, put his hands together. He then took a deep breath, whispering "Pokémon". He felt the same energy flowing through him and he was glowing white. "Done, but one question, is there anyway I can make this process being faster?"

"The more experience you get of your power, the more you will learn about your attacks." Bill nodded, as in 'uh huh'. "To use your Ember attack just thrust your palm forward while concentrating on fire; it's quick but a little weak. Shall we begin fighting?"

"A friendly battle?" Bill asked.

"But of course, let's start!" Tchang charged forward, he was quite fast for an old man. He jumped up and executed a Jump Kick, Bill wasn't ready for it so he raised his hands and blocked the oncoming kick. He staggered backwards a little after the older one hit him. Directly after Tchang had Jump Kicked him he made a low sweep to trip the teen off his feet, and directly swiftly punched him in the stomach twice.

Bill slowly fell to his knees, and collapsed head first to the ground.

"You have a lot to learn, Bill. You need to concentrate more, during the battle!" Tchang lectured.

"Bah! Just shut the hell up!" Bill spat out, still trying to regain his breath. Tchang shook his head slightly.

"Quite the sore loser, I see," he remarked. "You have to be aware that you will lose too. You mustn't think you're God. Even after the training, which mostly will be a summary of how you fight and your use of power, there will still be Pokémon who'll be stronger than you."

'_Oh man, this will surely take a lot of time,'_ Bill thought.

"By the way, you must wonder why you're not hungry," Tchang interrupted Bill's thoughts. That reminded Bill of that last time he ate something was about seventeen hours ago or something.

"Yeah, how come I don't feel any hunger?"

"Now when you're here in this place you won't feel any hunger or thirst, but when you start your journey down in the Pokémon World you will be as any other human, except with the special powers you have."

"Journey? What journey?" Bill asked.

"Bill, you ask too many questions. Anyway, after you've finished your training here you will start a journey in the Pokémon World so you can explore it and find some Pokémon to spar with, or fight them. But remember that almost all of the opposing Pokémon will hesitate, since most of them aren't fond of fighting humans," Tchang told the young boy.

"Why is it so?"

"You see, most Pokémon think it's weak to attack a human, since they're defenceless in most of the cases. But keep in mind that some won't hesitate to attack, there are Pokémon who hates humans… and will sometimes not hesitate to kill them." Bill had a worried look on his face.

"So the Pokémon World is pretty dangerous," he concluded.

"Yes, but you should know that some Pokémon doesn't have anything against humans, and some only attacks if you anger them or threaten them in some way. But if they learn that you're a Pokémon, they might fight you, even though most of them will hold back," Tchang explained.

"Well, if they hold back too much I'll tell them not to!"

André suddenly ran in with a very stressful look on his face.

"Master! Bill! We've got a problem!"

"What has happened?" Tchang asked.

"The last one who died… didn't die!" Tchang gasped.

"Oh no… Bill you don't have to worry, it won't affect your dimension, it will only affect hers."

"Hers?" Bill was surprised, was the one before him a _girl?_

"Yes, her dimension has already altered that she doesn't exist anymore, she won't be able to return even if your task is completed."

"Now THAT's gotta suck," remarked Bill

"She also suffered from Amnesia, she doesn't remember a thing why she is here, and worst of all. The Humans _knows_ she's a Pokémon!" André informed.

"Looks like you have another quest to take on while you're doing your main." Tchang looked at Bill.

"Yeah, yeah, where is she?"

"I…I… don't know!"

"You said that you've found out that she still lived, and you don't know where she is?" Tchang looked at André, he then turned to Bill.

"Bill during your journey, if you see a girl with strange power, please contact us."

"But do I not need more training?" Bill asked.

"Of course!" Tchang agreed.

Days passed, Bill trained hard everyday, his will focused on one thing, to destroy the evil one.

He sparred with his Master, but he also sparred with André when master didn't have time. He learned new moves and a new 'Special Assault'. His second 'Special Assault' was the Air Raid Tenscho.

The Air Raid Tenscho started with one spinning uppercut which knocked the opponent up in the air, and then it was followed by a super spinning uppercut which hit the opponent many times, high up in the air, dealing Fighting damage. While it wasn't that powerful, it was useful to put in a combo.

He learned how to use an ice attack, which was Ice Punch, a thunder attack, which was Thunderbolt and lastly a wind attack, Phoenix Palm, which was an attack that shot out a gale shot that travelled very fast. But most of his strength was in his physical fighting.

Although he never knew his journey would be hard, he would have to pass many obstacles, such as almost risking his life, betrayals, choices, and even losing friends.

After a week he was fully trained by Tchang Zahn and André Harrison, waiting for his quest to begin…

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

A/N

Hi everybody! Well I hope you like this story so far and I hope you like reading it. And as usual, if there are grammar, misspellings and other stupid things in this story please make me know. Also I LOVE criticism since it helps a lot! Just so you know, the "Special Assaults" are not über powerful moves or desperation attacks! They may be stronger than most normal moves, but remember that he's still a rookie!


	5. A Not so pleasant Bug Encounter

_**Chapter**__** 4**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way!

So this chapter's length was doubled after the revision, I'm really sorry about that, but I hope it got better.

Also, last reminder, the main character is a Swede, so when there will be translation at the end of the chapter.

Dialogue Key.

"Normal Talk"

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic Talk"_

(Translated Pokémon talk that Bill doesn't understand)

'_Heaven or Hell, here I come!'_ – Bill Anderson's thought. (There will be other persons a few chapters forward)

* * *

"_**A Not-so-pleasant Bug Encounter"**_

Bill was in the training room, fighting with himself, unleashing a flaming Fire Punch and linking it into a Sonic Kicks finished with fiery backhand motioned Fire Punch. He still felt a little uneasy; he hadn't been fighting in a real battle, except for the one with Mewtwo.

When he thought of Mewtwo, he also thought about that crime organization, Team Racket, who must've been doing experiments on it. He had to get some information about that organization. When he finished training he walked out to talk with Tchang.

"Master Zahn, are you really sure you can't train me anymore?" he asked. He was eager to learn new moves, but it seemed he couldn't.

"Bill, you're getting much stronger than we are, in order for you to get stronger you must travel round the world sparring with other Pokémons," explained Tchang.

"But when I train with myself I don't seem to get stronger, why?"

"Oh, that must be because of you human body shape. You see, the power which flow in you can't get stronger than your body can handle, you will need to train your human body too if you want to get stronger," Tchang explained.

"Oh, that explains why… But can I fight Pokémons when I'm in human form?"

"Yes you can, but it's very risky, because you could get killed. It is a good way to get stronger, but I wouldn't recommend it since even though you are stronger than us, your powers grow slowly at the beginning, but it will rise faster at the end."

'_If I reach__ to that end…'_ he thought, "But, do I have any weaknesses? Everybody has a weakness!"

"Oh yes, you have some weaknesses, but I do not know what they are. Everybody else had different weaknesses so you have to find out by yourself I'm afraid of."

"But one more question, why can't I train here anymore? I know that I'm stronger than you are but, wouldn't it be easier?" asked Bill. Tchang chuckled, shaking his head.

"Strength isn't everything, you also need the knowledge how different Pokémon fight, if you don't have that knowledge, then you will only be fighting in vain," he said.

"But, another thing came up on my head, since I don't really know what kind of element I am, can I combine other elements? Like fire and water?"

"Good question, Bill, but unfortunately, it is a very complicated art to combine both elements into one attack, only one managed to do so. His name was Percival, he combined ice and thunder. He was so close to defeating him, but it just took one false step," he said, looking down. He sighed.

"He was strong, right?" asked Bill.

"Yes, he was very strong, but he mostly used his spear he found in some dungeon to battle with. Ice and thunder was a very powerful combination, but you might do it if you have faith," Tchang encouraged.

"Oh, well. Let us hope I last that long… discretion should be my number one rule, but it will be hard to fight other Pokémon without humans seeing me. Hey, how come you have no information about Pokémon? Why do you want me to find out on my own?"

Tchang sighed. "Look, does this place look like a big library? No, I'm the guardian of the dimensions and my task is to protect it for as long as possible. I am not meant to be your teacher about Pokémon!" scolded Tchang, annoyed of Bill's question.

'_Darn, I wish sooo much I played that frickin' game back home!'_ he thought angrily. "Sorry, Master Zahn, but there are so many questions…"

"I understand, Bill, if I'd been you I would be the same," he said.

"So, as far as I know about my powers, I can only concentrate on one type of element then," said Bill. Tchang nodded.

"Yes, but keep in mind that your appearance will change depending on what element you use. And in your case, it is noticed of your hair colour, when you concentrate on mainly fire attacks, it will turn reddish. And ice will result it to turn to a whitish blue, and lastly thunder attacks are shown by yellow hair," he explained.

"(cough) those aren't my favourite colours… anyway, isn't that a weakness? Well, never mind."

"Remember that you can enhance your fighting abilities using those elements, but for now you can only use fire and thunder enhancements. Fire will aid to heat your body up, which can be useful if you're in cold places, ice is vice versa. And thunder will raise your speed, which is very important. We gone through that before so I'm sure you know how to do it. Your hair colour will still change a little, yellow, ice blue or red striped, depending on what element you enhance with," said Tchang in one huge breath.

"Yeah, I know that, but before I leave, are there any more pieces of information about the other girl? Name?"

"She has suffered of amnesia; she might have gotten herself a new name. Her powers are very unique for a Pokémon. And as I've said before, people know that she's a Pokémon, so she's constantly hiding. Restricted areas might be the best places to search."

"How does she look like?"

"Well, last time we saw her she had long, brown hair, was about the same height as you and brown eyes," Tchang described, "one very significant thing you will notice is that her heart is at the right side of the chest. She's from another dimension, you see," he finished.

"Jeez, she's probably older than me… is there anything I should keep in mind?"

"Yes, even though you might end up very strong, you're still a little weak now. Don't think that you are a powerful Pokémon now, or you will suffer defeat. And that watch of yours, can I have it for a second?"

"What? This? Alright, but don't break it, it's my last memory from my dad!"

"Don't worry Bill." Tchang held the watch and closed his eyes. When he was ready he gave the watch back to Bill.

"So, what have you done with it?"

"This watch… now has the ability to stop time."

"WHAT?!? But if I use it everything stops!"

"Now, let me explain it for you, your watch can stop the time by pushing the button you normally use for setting the time. Everything around a 10 m radius will completely freeze. During that period, you can't even move a paper out of its place. But everything in the 10 m radius will not be stopped." Bill looked at the watch with awe in his eyes.

Tchang continued, "You can walk on water using this feature, no one will see it. It's like teleportation, and a time saver, if you pardon the pun. Also note that you can trip on a sheet of paper for example. Just don't use it when other sees it."

"Awesome, but why did you give me such a gift? This watch could get very dangerous in the wrong hands! And manipulating time is dangerous too!" Bill said.

"Firstly, every fighter has gotten one particular item, and you got this time stopping watch. Unfortunately I don't remember what I gave her, "said a disappointed Tchang. He continued, "Time manipulation is only dangerous if you travel through time, stopping time is another matter, since it doesn't affect the future or the past," he finished.

"But if I freeze this world, won't my world get, ehm, screwed up?"

"No, you don't have to worry about that, since it's not a complete freeze!" Tchang stated.

"So, do you know what Percival got?" asked Bill, already impressed of the deceased Percival.

"He didn't want one, since he didn't accept gifts from people he didn't know. But he was the strongest of them all. Are you ready to start, by the way?" the old man asked.

"Yes, I am ready as ever, Master Zahn!"

"Okay, I will begin the transportation."

"Wow, this is going to be fun, wait! Where's André?"

"He's gone on an errand, looking for her." Tchang began chanting and Bill began to levitate, energy surrounded him and suddenly he disappeared.

* * *

When Bill was flying through the portal he noticed it wasn't as unpleasant as it was when he arrived to Mewtwo's island, he wondered what André did wrong? When the transportation began to end he saw a forest becoming larger, soon, he would find himself in the middle of a forest. 

_THUD_

"Ouch! That hurt!" Bill yelled, rubbing his rear end. _'Now where the heck am I?'_ Bill looked around; he could only see trees, trees and even more trees, he heard birds chirping but he thought the chirps sounded strange. _'I have a feeling that this won't be as unpleasant as where it was back on the plains… I need to find a spot where the sun shines.' _

Bill needed to find such a spot so he could tell where north was by looking at his watch and then stand so his shadow says that time. By doing that he will be facing north, almost, he used that theory when his compass broke during an orienteering competition at school. He kept walking looking for a sunny spot but he couldn't find one, he wondered if he walked in circles. After a while he found an open spot.

Bill looked at his watch and it said 9:35 am, he anticipated it was 'am' since it was pretty obvious it was morning to him. _'Great! Not an accurate time! Well anyway…'_ Bill stood up and positioned himself so his shadow showed somewhere near 9:40 am. _'Now, north should be this way, let's hope I don't get into any trouble.'_ Bill looked around only to see no one in the vicinity, he put his hands together and whispered "human", when he returned to human status he began to walk west, hoping to find a town.

'_Good thing I remembered I was in Pokémon status or I would be so screwed. Nothing could possible go wrong now!'_ He didn't know he would regret thinking that because while he was walking a green figure landed in front of him, letting out a cry.

"SCYTHER!!"

Bill was horrified, right before him stood a dark green Pokémon that reminded him of a praying mantis, only much bigger. It was bipedal, meaning that it stood on its hind legs. It was almost as tall as Bill, and its head was more like a reptilian's, on the top it had three small spikes coming from it.

Besides the dark green colour it that coloured most of its body it was more dark orange on its thin parts of its body, and it was yellowier on the wings, which were now folded. What puzzled him the most was that he had a feeling that he had seen this creature before, but he knew he hadn't!

But what scared Bill the most was because of the long, wickedly sharp looking scythes which were attached to its very short arms, and it looked very hostile. It scanned Bill for a while before pointing one of its bladelike hands at him, who yelped in fear, but he didn't dare to run, yet. It then opened its mouth to speak, showing two small fangs in the upper jaw.

"Scythe scy scyther, scy!" (You're not allowed to be here, human!) Bill didn't have an idea what it was saying; he was too paralyzed with fear.

"Ehh, uhm, yeah those are some pretty nice scythes I must say, ehh…" he managed to say. The Pokémon looked at its scythes and nodded, which surprised him. "What? You can understand me?" he asked.

"Scy, scythe scyscythe ther, scyther scy therscy," (Yes, you should've known that our kind understands you, but you do not understand us,) it said, using a little body language. Bill looked at it, totally clueless.

It sighed, shaking its head and mumbled, "Scythe scythe, scy therscy ther!" (Stupid human, if you didn't know that you're truly pathetic!) It continued to scan him, as if looking for something.

"Um, what are you looking at?" asked Bill, terrified. "What are you by the way?" It looked up at him.

"Scyther," it said, pointing at itself with both of its blades.

"You're a Scyther?" It nodded. "Well, how sharp are those scythes then?" He already knew that this was an extremely stupid question. But the huge mantis pointed at a branch nearby and beckoned him to follow it. When it was an arm length from the branch it looked at Bill.

"Scythe ther," (Watch carefully now,) it said, pausing a little. It brandished its blade through the branch, though it was almost to fast for Bill to see it. The branch was still sitting in place.

"Um, I'm afraid you missed, Scyther," he said awkwardly. It shook its head, pointing at the branch.

"Scyythe," (Look again,) it said, touching the branch. It fell off immediately, the cut had been so fast and combined with the seemingly razor sharp scythes, it hadn't fall off. But it had now.

This started to freak Bill out, he didn't really know if this Pokémon was one of those human haters, but if it was… well, tough shit.

"He-hey, n-n-now look here, Scyther, do you want to kill me?" It just looked at Bill, smiling. _'Okay, what to do? What to do? This Pokémon looks pretty dangerous, and if I try to transform it will get suspicious and behead me in no time. I think the best option now is to run like hell out of there, THIS must be its territory or something, but first I have to trick it…'_ Bill suddenly pointed towards the Pokémon yelling.

"What the…? LOOK BEHIND YOU!" The Pokémon quickly turned around, only to see a couple of trees. When it turned to look at the intruder he wasn't there, but it could see him running away from it.

Pathetic, a human, running away from a Scyther? _'This might be fun,_' it thought, chasing Bill from a distance.

Bill was running for all he got, if he stopped, he could get killed. _'This is a freakin' nightmare! How will I get out of this mess?'_ While he was running, which was pretty hard since it was in the middle of a forest, he thought that he had outrun it.

He slowed down and looked behind him while back pedalling, no sight of that Scyther. But when he turned around to look forward, the Scyther stood several metres ahead of him. The sudden sight made him jump back in surprise, falling down.

It looked at him, clicking its tongue.

"T-t-t-t-t." It waved the claw in a left-right motion a couple of times. "Scy scyther scy, ther scythe scyscy scythe SCY! (It seems that you're not from here, but you should know that _no _one tries to run away from ME!) As it uttered its last word it slashed at Bill's torso, no pain was felt, did it miss? He put his hand on he lower chest and the pain stung like salt in a wound, it was clear to him that those scythes were so sharp they inflicted almost no pain.

He screamed as the wound hurt, and the Scyther just watched in amusement. It then walked up to him and held the tip of the scythe slightly under his chin, forcing him to stand upright.

The beast wondered why the human was in its territory in the first place. Normally, humans with those… slaves would dare to trespass its territory, but this human didn't have any. The human didn't seem to have any items of interest either.

Seeing the beast thinking, Bill stood up, looking into its eyes. The look slowly turned into a glare. The Scyther noticed that and returned the glare, but Bill didn't budge, he kept glaring deeply into its eyes. The mantis did not seem to like it.

"Scythe, scyther scy scythe? Ther scyther scy scythe ther SCY?" (Human, are you challenging me? You actually have the nerve to think you're stronger than ME?) It walked forward, forcing Bill to back away into a tree.

Once he hit the tree, the scythe under his chin moved to his upper torso, pinning him to the tree. The deadly blade was also holding his arms in place, he couldn't move them if he tried to. He then saw the other blade being positioned like a knife to his throat, ready to slit it open any second. But he kept staring into the eyes.

He was staring with great horror into the creature's eyes. They were completely colourless, and the sockets was formed like a skewed rectangle, similar to Mewtwo's. And the whites were completely pearl white; there were no sign of any veins. The black pupils, weren't round, it had slits, like a cat's eye, or more like a reptilian's.

It pushed the threatening scythe that was near his neck even closer, almost touching it. Why couldn't the human get the clue? But he kept staring; it must've been a challenge, or, he was making fun of it! The human would pay dearly for this; it widened its eyes in anger, giving the human a last warning.

"Cut it out, wimp!" Bill had to tell another bad pun when his life was on the edge. That probably did it, that insult must've set it off. It kicked him in the stomach, causing him to lose most off his air, and then shoved him down to the ground.

When he hit the ground he closed his eyes, while his vision was blackened he felt a clawed foot stomp on his chest lightly, pinning him to the ground. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw a greenish scythe pointed right at his throat, and the Scyther was eyeing him very fiercely.

'_Okay, Heaven or Hell, here I come! I probably beat the record of dying the fastest! Well, to cut a long story short: I messed up, provoked a mad Scyther and got sliced and diced to death! Woo!'_ he thought as he was about to go insane. He watched in horror as the green mantis raised its other deadly blade, ready to slice him up. But before it brought it down, it lifted its foot and stood on the ground so it wouldn't accidentally cut its own foot.

He wondered if it would be painful, the first cut hadn't hurt at all. Well, when he'd touched it, it had. The claw that was ready to kill him was brought down faster than his eyes could track, no pain… was this the end? Directly after the bug Pokémon had struck, it did once again, only that it cut him at the same place.

He wondered why he wasn't dead yet, those two cuts must've done something. It looked at him with a mischievous smile and pointed its still clean scythe at where it had struck him. He tilted his head slightly upwards to look where the swipes had hit.

It ran the scythe alongside the wounds, which were formed like an X on his stomach. The pain shot out like a bullet, he hissed in pain with his teeth clenched and his muscles tensed. He was pretty sure that these cuts were made so his stomach would become a sort of a target to it.

Blood started to ooze out of the wounds; these cuts were a little deeper than the first one he had received. The insect then looked at its blade; it had gotten some spots of blood on it after it had run it alongside his wound. It planted its foot on his chest again to keep him still, he was at least happy that the foot hadn't touched his now bleeding X cut.

Then the creature did something that Bill hadn't expected, it brought the blade to its head and _licked _it clean from the blood. It closed its eyes slowly as it licked up the blood from the scythe, when the scythe was clean from the blood it stood there for a while with its eyes and mouth closed.

'_The taste of blood… glorious!'_ it thought. It turned its head to Bill, glaring at him with the look of kill in its eyes.

Once again it was poised to strike, aiming for the centre of the X it had made, but now it hesitated. Its vicious glare turned into a look of wonder, it looked up from him, thinking. Killing this human in pure rage would only cause other humans trying to kill it if they found out.

"Hey, are you going to do it or not? You thought you'd _cut_ the death scene after all, you coward!" Bill snarled. He immediately regretted he had done that, his panic had turned into an insane bravado. The Scyther's vicious glare returned in a blink, and now with the determination to kill.

'_IF the other humans find out that is. I can take that risk, since hiding the corpse would not be that difficult,'_ it thought. It believed its own theory and was about to strike, but then another thought came up in its mind. It leaned forward slightly, still looking Bill in his eyes.

"Scy scythe, scyther scy scythe?" (Before I kill you, do you have a last wish?) it hissed, looking at Bill with fierce eyes.

'_I wonder what it said…it sounded like a question,'_ he thought, wondering what it said. "Eh, I don't think I have anything edible," he said out of the blue. The mantis snarled slightly at that, it only got angered by his stupidity. This time it wanted an answer, a proper one.

'_Come on, think! What did it say? Must've been something, what could it be?'_ he raced through his mind. _'A last request? Like they always ask in the movies? It could be!´_ His thoughts were interrupted by a loud screech from the Scyther as it brought the razor sharp blade down, but it didn't intend to kill him yet. The swipe was more of a powerful blow to his left cheek with the flat of its blade.

The blow made him turn his head to the right; the pain in the cheekbone wasn't as bad as the pain on his chest. He put his left hand on the bruise to feel in something had been broken, fortunately, nothing had. He felt the flat of a blade turn his face towards the menacing bug, its mouth was slightly open, showing the pair of fangs that scared him slightly.

"Scyther scyscy, therscy scythe," (I see you have a hearing problem, I'll try to make myself clear one more time,) it started calmly with a faint smile on its mouth. It took a deep breath and lowered its head closer to Bill's. "SCYTHER SCY SCYTHE!?" (DO YOU HAVE A LAST WISH?) shouted the dark green insect loudly, Bill covered his ears as it shouted at him.

"You don't have to scream, dammit!" he shouted at it. It narrowed its eyes and snarled lightly at him, raising the deadly blade to deliver the killing blow. The wounds on his stomach had stopped bleeding thanks to the coagulation; the pain had also gone away a little. Bill shot up his hands motioning it to stop.

"Wait, I think I know what you mean… a last wish?" he asked, hoping for the best. It nodded once, smiling. It got down on one knee and positioned its blade near Bill's throat so he wouldn't try anything smart. _'Jeez, that is so lame…'_ he thought when it turned out it wanted to hear a last wish from him. He had to use this to his advantage, but how?

"C-could I get some time to think about it?" he begged. It moved a little closer, the scythe near his throat moved a little. "Please?" he squeaked. It smiled faintly, liking to see the human frightened after all.

'_Okay, lemme see… if I could ask for a little elbow room for a couple of seconds not doing anything, I could transform and fight it. But… I'm not sure if I'll be able to beat it, its scythes could harm me from a further distance than my fist or kicks__ can, nah, out of the question,'_ he thought. _'And besides, if I ever try to punch it now, it will literally disarm me. Fire, perhaps? Yeah, great idea, I'll torch the forest and get the authorities after me!'_

There had to be some way, if he just had a little more time to…

Then he got an idea, it could work! It had to!

"Um, could we make a compromise? A question and a challenge?" he requested. The blade wielding bug hissed as it positioned one of its blades near his throat again. It had a feeling that he was up to something, but he wouldn't succeed. Bill closed his eyes in fright just as the bug hissed, was it over? He felt a sharp object poke him lightly on his upper chest

"Scyscythe, scyther scy," (Okay then, I accept that offer,) it said calmly. Bill sighed in relief.

"So you accept on that?" It nodded once, sighing this time since it answered the question twice. "C-can I stand up?" It looked at him for a while, if this was the question the human must've been very scared. But it agreed and lifted its foot, allowing Bill to stand up straight. It was still in range of striking him though.

"Thanks, n-now for the question," he started but the Scyther growled slightly at him, taking one quick step forward. After one blink, he saw the scythe pointing at his throat once again. _'Now what?'_ he thought.

"Scytherscy therscy scy scythe! Scyscy scyther?" (I'm not to be fooled, you had your question! Now you want another one?) it snarled. Bill could almost understand what it meant. He _asked_ if he could stand up, that actually counted as a question. He had to explain. He couldn't throw this opportunity away!

The mantis angled the scythe as it took one more step closer, now the blade was angled like a knife to his throat again. Bill started to feel uneasy again,

"Scy ther, scy scythe? Scy therscy scythe!" (Breaking compromises early, now are you? I should cut that tongue of yours before killing you!) it hissed as it slowly brought the blade from his throat towards his face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! The first question wasn't meant to be the question! Please, Scyther, let me ask that question," he pleaded as he tried to avoid the scythe that threatened to cut something off. Scyther looked at him, waving its blade slowly in front of his face in a lying 8 pattern. His eyes followed the pattern in terror.

"O-or d-do you want t-to hear the ch-challenge first?" he then suggested, he knew this plan had good odds of success. "Please…" he whimpered. The insect took a step back, giving him some elbow room if that's what he wanted.

"Sscyy," (Shoot,) it demanded, looking at him suspiciously. Bill took some deep breaths before speaking.

"Okay then," he said as he took one more deep breath, "the challenge is that I'll try to outrun you from this forest. If I succeed, I'm free, as soon I'm outside the forest I'm free, is that okay?" he said, bringing up one of the conditions.

Scyther looked at him; there was a look of wonder in its fierce eyes. This human really is an imbecile! What makes him think he can run away from it? A mischievous smile curled up on its lips as it thought about it.

"Scy scythe?" (And if not?) it asked, tilting its head slightly. Bill anticipated that it would say that.

"Well, if I don't make it…" he swallowed once, looking down clenching his fists, "I'm all yours… I-I don't care how you'll kill me." It nodded with leer, it liked that condition. But why did this human do this? He must've known that he has no chance.

Oh well, hunting a fleeing human would be very amusing to it.

"But… I would like a head start, ten seconds if you mind," said Bill. Scyther nodded, even if he got ten minutes of head start he wouldn't make it.

Bill sighed in relief when he saw that this beast accepted his conditions. "So, eh, c-can I ask the question now?" he said, knowing that it was a question too. It just looked at him, raising one of its scythes, showing that it let him ask.

"I would like to know where the nearest civilization is located, if there is any. But if you do know please at least point to that direction," he then said. The green bug looked at him curiously; didn't the human really know where he was? But he must be lost or something, nevertheless, it pointed at one direction.

Bill looked at his shadow and calculated that the time must've been somewhere at 9:50 am. It occurred to him that the nearest town was to the south. Scyther stood there calmly and waved its blade, wanting him to run.

"Okay then." Bill took a deep breath, preparing to run for his life. _"I really hope this works or I'm surely going to end up as a 'Shish Kabob á la Scyther' for sure,"_ he thought as he started to run off to the direction to the nearest civilization. Scyther stood there, crossing its scythes and grinning at the human's foolish attempt on escape from it.

After Bill had run a distance he slowed down and searched his pockets after his watch. When he found it he started to fumble with it a little.

'_Come on, no panic, stay cool,'_ he mentally told himself. If his head start time expired, that bloodthirsty insect would come and decapitate him or do something really nasty. He held the Stop Watch firmly in his hands and looked at it; the beautiful silver reflected some of the sunshine that made it way through the woods. The round smooth exterior that… okay, enough with the looking! _'Here goes nothing!'_ he thought as he pushed the button, closing his eyes.

He waited; shivering a little in fright if it turned out the watch hadn't worked. Nothing came, had it worked? The beast could have been hiding nearby. He decided to take the risk and go back from where he started to run.

As he walked back he felt his heart beat at a faster rate, if it hadn't worked he'd be doomed. Sure, the head start time had already exceeded, but it could still be hiding nearby. To his surprise, he saw it stand there, his heart jumped when he saw it, was this the end now? But it didn't seem it had noticed him, which relieved him.

He carefully walked towards it; he saw the confident, yet evil grin that showed on its face. It must've been very sure that Bill wouldn't make out of the forest alive. He stood right in front of it now, waving his hand right before its eyes. It showed no reaction.

"It worked," he said as he carefully knocked on its head. "Amazing… anybody home? He doesn't notice anything." He chuckled when he looked at Scyther.

"Kom an då! Är'u stel av skräck eller?" he taunted in his natural tongue while going into fighting stance. A chill went down his spine when the thought of its head turning to look at him came up. What if the watch only could stop time for a limited period? He decided to get out of this forest as soon as possible.

'_Now, to the south it was,'_ he thought as he carefully proceeded through the forest, grass standing straight up posed a threat because when time was stopped, nothing could be moved, making the small grass straws sharp as spikes that could penetrate through his shoes. In the time-stopped area of the forest, it was quiet as in a grave, and he could see some strange looking birds in the sky that where completely still too.

After a while of careful process through the forest, he had an uneasy feeling that the Scyther had lied to him, he must've lost himself somewhere. He might as well start time again and wait for his death. But he couldn't just give up after all that! He had to continue!

After another while of proceeding, he noticed the forest was getting lighter, he must've been on the right way now. He saw a clearing, it was the forest edge, and at last he'd be out from this forest. And to make things better, he found a dirt path: this dirt path would probably lead him to the civilization.

Scyther hadn't lied. It had actually told him the direction. How… honourable, too bad that it wouldn't get the pleasure of killing him. As Bill walked the path, he picked up his Stop Watch from his pocket and pushed the button.

The sounds returned: he could hear the birds chirping, yet in a very strange way, and some big purple rats squeaked in surprise of the human's sudden appearance, but thankfully they weren't even close to the size of that bug.

Bill, of course, jumped in fright too when the rats squeaked, but luckily for him the rats ran away. They seemed too scared to even try to attack him anyway. He started to walk towards the civilization that wasn't too far away, in fact, it was a small town.

* * *

_(When time started)_

Scyther stood there chuckling at the human's foolish attempt to run away. It was time to hunt.

It sniffed the air to determine how far away the human was, but something wasn't right, the human was very far away.

'_Impossible,'_ it thought as it started to run blindingly fast to the south, hoping to find that human somewhere. How come the scent of him was so far away? It doesn't make sense! It feared that the human had succeeded, but… no human can run away from it, NO ONE!

It arrived at the forest edge, the scent of the human got sharper. When it looked out on the grassy field it saw the human there, calmly walking his way to the town. It let out an ear splitting cry of anger. Its pride had been hurt, how could it lose on a footrace through the forest to a human? That human must've cheated, it was impossible to make such a long way in so short time! It was about to sneak up on him by hiding in the grass and waiting for the opportunity to strike.

No, that would be dishonourable, very dishonourable. It had to keep its part of the promise, but next time… _next_ time it wouldn't care if that human was in its territory or not! _'You shall die the next time you dare to enter the forest, human,'_ it thought as it returned to its territory, cutting some branches in rage.

* * *

_(On the grassy field)_

"SCYYYYYYTHEEEER!!!!" Bill turned around slightly when he heard that cry. He couldn't help but chuckle as he turned his back to the forest and proceed to the town; it wasn't too far away now. He got a little worried though, what if the Scyther decided to kill him right away anyway? He hoped that it would be noble enough to admit the defeat.

During his walk, his wounds itched a little due to the coagulation. By reflex, he scratched the wounds, and unlike a regular cut caused by poor usage of a knife, these cuts where very thin, and by scratching; it caused the scab of hardened blood to fall off and fresh blood oozed out.

It hurt like hell, as he accidentally _lifted_ up a small piece of the skin. Of course he let go of it immediately, his pale red shirt was now blood red. Four words echoed in his mind as he made his way to the town: _'Must… find… hospital… quickly.'_

These cuts were more lethal than he had expected, if he touched them it would only get worse, causing him to bleed much more, even to death, if it lasted long enough. Not exactly the death for a world-saving, wannabe hero like him, or? Sure, he'd die sooner or later, but he did not want to die like this!

When he finally arrived to the town he couldn't stand straight, the wounds didn't want to stop bleeding. He felt dizzy, probably due to lack of blood in his system. He'd faint soon, knowing that he'd die if somebody didn't find him.

"Bloody wounds!" he moaned, cracking another pun before fainting. His vision went completely black.

When he came to his senses, which probably was several hours later, he found himself in a white room. Was this heaven? They do have comfortable beds however. Then it hit him, someone had found him and brought him to the hospital! Well, he owes that fellow a favour. He stretched out his arms and groaned, for how long had he been asleep?

"Doctor, patient no. 045 is awake!" a female voice reported to a man in a white doctor's coat. The brown haired man walked towards Bill with a questioning look on his face.

"So you're awake now, young man, good thing those adults found you," he said calmly.

"Yeah, I guess I was lucky back there," he said, or tried to say. "Eah, I guesh I wwashh wuckiie back the'e," were the words that came out due to the state of dizziness he thought. Some of the other patients chuckled when they heard that drunken voice. "Schhuutupp!" he drunkenly said to the snickering patients, which only caused them to chuckle more loudly.

The doctor looked at him for a while. "I think you have to rest some more, young man, it seems the anaesthetic hasn't worn off yet," he stated.

"Ana- whaaat?" Bill wondered, a long and complicated word in the English language.

"It's a sedative drug, don't worry, it makes you feel no pain. We suspected that you had some serious wounds but it turned out you hadn't. I'm very sorry I didn't notice that earlier," he apologised.

"Noo worrrieesch!" said Bill, almost feeling nauseous, probably some side effect from this anatheathoti-whatever.

"You should go back to sleep for a couple of hours, it'll do you good," recommended the older man. Bill decided to follow the advice and fall back asleep. It felt so comfortable to fall asleep at the instant you closed your eyes.

When he woke up in about 5 hours later he didn't feel dizzy anymore. The nausea was also gone, which was relief to him. Again, he stretched his body and moaned. He looked around himself, it turned out that he was in a ward. He could see some very strange pink-looking creatures which walked around.

They resembled a form of a pink egg, and they had small tubby arms and legs. It had small eyes and a small mouth. On its head, which seemed to be the top part of this… egg, it had strange hair, or so it seemed to him. It had six straws of hair, three on each side. On the belly, it had a pouch where an egg was contained, to top it off; it had a nurse's hat on its head. Bill found this rather amusing, yet a little stupid. Nevertheless, it also made him feel a little happier by looking at it. It then noticed him and waddled to him.

"Chans? Cha sey, chansey?" (You awake? How nice, are you feeling better?) it said in a falsetto voice, checking his status. Bill could guess the name of this Pokémon could be Chansey. How ridiculous, the Pokémon called out their names all the time. This really was like a game to him. The Pokémon's cheery smile, however, lightened him up even more.

"Hi there, li'l fella," he greeted awkwardly, "could you fetch the doctor for me? I think I feel better now." The egg Pokémon nodded and waddled away.

After a while the doctor came, he had a curious look on his face again.

"Are you feeling better now, young man?" he asked, examining him with his green coloured eyes.

"Yeah, I actually am. So, um, doctor, am I cured enough to leave?"

The doctor thought for a while. "Well, it seems the anaesthetic has worn off now, but I'm still not sure if your blood system has stabilized yet," he informed. Thinking that Bill was wondering how his injuries were he added: "You didn't get any serious injuries, but you lost quite some blood. Judging by those wounds, I suspect they're from a Scyther, am I right?"

Bill took a deep breath. "Well, uh, yeah, that's pretty right, doctor," he then said, fearing that he'd get a scolding or something.

The doctor folded his arms, giving him a stern look. "A boy at your age should know that it is very dangerous to walk around in the Scyther territory! Especially not when you don't have any Pokémon with you!"

"But I didn't know there was a territory, doctor!" Bill answered back. The doctor raised his eyebrows. "And besides, it seems I'm suffering of some kind of loss of memory. I can't remember why I was in the forest anyway, and I don't even know where I am!" he added. The doctor gasped in shock when he learned that Bill wasn't aware of where he was.

"What? Don't you know where you are, young man? You're in Viridian City, and this is the PokéCentre ward for humans!" He calmed down a bit. "So you say you have some kind of amnesia, it could be a psychic Pokémon that would be the cause," he stated.

"Yeah, maybe…" replied Bill, remembering the encounter with Mewtwo.

"Do you remember your name?" he asked.

"Umm, Bill J. Anderson I think, it stands that on my watch," said Bill as he was about to pick his watch up, but it turned out that he wasn't wearing his normal clothes. He was wearing some sort of pyjamas. "Vad fan…?" he muttered when he noticed that. "Where are my clothes?"

The doctor noticed that and chuckled lightly. "They're hanging over there, Bill," he said as he pointed to a clothes hook.

"Oh, well then, my watch is in there, my name is engraved on it but I still have no idea where I am!" he whined, of course it was a pretended whining but he had to make up some story.

"Well, let's hope your memory comes back sooner or later," the doctor said. Then he looked at Bill sternly again. "It seems we went slightly off topic, I can agree that you might have been lost in that forest, but you should know that Scyther cuts can get very lethal!" he scolded while waving his index finger at the teen. "Don't you know what kind of consequences you could get for provoking such a dangerous Pokémon like Scyther?"

"No, I really don't!" Bill answered a little disrespectfully.

"First of all, did you face it alone?" Bill nodded. "Then it might not be as bad, but if you enter its territory again, by mistake or not, it might hunt you until you're dead!"

Bill flinched slightly at the last word. "Have there been any cases where-?" he started but the doctor cut him off.

"Fortunately, no. but you wouldn't want to be the first one, now would you? There was some time ago when somebody was really close to get killed," the doctor stated seriously.

"Really, what happened?" the teen asked curiously. The doctor scowled slightly at the boy.

"Like you, he had been in that territory, only that he had entered it to catch a Scyther. He did succeed however, and he managed to escape with the help of his well trained Pokémon. But during his stay here at one of the rooms in the night, they attacked him, knowing that he was defenceless. From what I've heard, it is said that they threatened to kill him if he didn't freed the Scyther the morning after, and after that incident we have been much more careful with them. We never knew they were going to go so far, I hope your incident hasn't provoked them even more, if it has, you're the one responsible!" the doctor told Bill, who gulped.

"Let's hope not then. C-can I check out now? I think I feel better now," he said. He really wanted to get out from the hospital now.

"Well, according to Chansey, it seems you're in good condition enough to walk, so I guess I could let you go."

Bill jumped out from his bed. "All right!" Then he felt dizzy, of course the low blood pressure had to get to him, or the blood rush. It went over quickly though, he changed his clothes, which were washed, and headed down to the lobby. Once in the lobby, he walked up to the desk. The nurse he saw when he first woke up in the ward stood there, she had pink hair with a nurse hat on the top of it, and sky blue eyes. He decided to stop looking at her and was about to check out.

"Um, hi nurse," he started the conversation in the same lame way he used to start a conversation, "could I check out now?"

"Did the doctor say it was okay?" she asked.

"Of course he did!"

"Well then, the exit is over there, young man," she pointed at the door not far away.

"Oh, thanks. And by the way, thanks for everything," he said as he walked out from the PokéCentre.

As he walked out from the big building he felt hungry, a horrible realization hit him.

"NOOO! I don't have any money!!!

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

Translation 

Kom an då! Är'u stel av skräck eller? – Come on! Are you scared stiff, huh?

Vad fan… – What the heck…

* * *

A/N 

Well that was the first chapter of the actual journey which started like a disaster.

And please, bomb me with criticism, I highly appreciate it!


	6. First Friend and Knowing the Basics

_**Chapter 5**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way.

This chapter will involve much talking and a tiny bit of action

Dialogue Key.

"Normal Talk"

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic Talk"_

"Oh, sorry, forgot. Return, everybody!" – Jonathan Huntley

* * *

"_**First Friend and Knowing the Basics"** _

Bill was in a hopeless situation, he was in a town where he knew absolutely nobody and he didn't know where to get some money!

'_I must contact Master Zahn about this, how will I survive my journey without any money?'_ he thought, looking for a place where he could be alone and contact Tchang. He walked around and thought that the only place he could be alone was outside Viridian City, when he was alone he sat down to meditate, seeking contact with Tchang.

"_Master Zahn, can you hear me?"_ he said through his thought, contacting his master. During his training, he had been taught to contact with Tchang whenever he wanted.

"_Yes, Bill, I can hear you… are there any problems?"_ answered the familiar old man.

"_Yes, there are. Could you pick me up?"_ said Bill, wanting to get over with this problem as soon as possible.

"_I'm going to check where you are…"_

"_I'm just outside Viridian City!"_ he informed.

"_Okay, hold on!"_ Bill felt like he was lifted up in the sky and everything went white. When things began to clear up he saw Tchang looking at him.

"What has happened?" Tchang asked.

"Well, my journey didn't start so good; I was lost in a forest and got attacked by a Scyther. A wonderful start, isn't it?" Bill said ironically through his anger.

"But why didn't you transform?" wondered Tchang.

"Well, if I would have raised any suspicion by trying to transform it would've chopped my head off! Anyway, I tricked it with my Stop Watch and headed to a town. And yes I did turn on the time after I got out of the forest!"

"But why did you come here then?"

"Ops! Forgot… the problem is that I don't… have any money!" Bill rubbed his neck.

"There's always one thing you have to forget, isn't it? Very well, André was supposed to give you 500 dollars as a start, but he spent them on… beer," said Tchang, as he looked down in despair.

"Noooo-hoho-hoooo!" the teen howled as he got down on his knees. "Why?"

"Don't worry Bill, it was a joke, I have the money right here," Tchang laughed when he saw Bill's face.

"Don't do that again or I'll swear…" Bill was a little angry, he hadn't time for jokes. Tchang handed over some money to Bill and he puts them in a pocket with a zipper so they not fall out.

"Bill, honestly, do you think I would assign André with such an important task?" the old man asked jokingly.

Bill chuckled at that. "Heh, no. But speaking of him, where is he?"

"He's still looking for her."

"So, I have some questions before I go back down. First, when did André become your assistant?

"A while ago, three or four summons ago…"

"For the second question… since the Pokémons don't speak human language, except for a few, will I ever be able to understand them?"

"It seems I forgot that too, the sand of time is getting to me. When you change your status you will be able to converse with them, but that doesn't go with all of them, however."

"Well, seeing that most of them seem to understand human language, it shouldn't pose much of a problem. But, how strong do I have to get to combine various elements?" he then asked.

"That takes time and practise, Louis put quite some effort and time into it."

"Louis… it's a shame he failed… he seemed to be quite interesting," Bill said lowly.

"I know, both André and I were very devastated when it happened," muttered Tchang. "So, should I send you back down from where I picked you up?" he suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so, just don't send me to that forest again, what were you thinking back then?"

"My teleportation skills aren't as good as they used to, but I'll do my best since it's easier to return someone to a location where one was picked up," said the old man as he began to chant. Bill felt the tingling sensation when he was about to return back to the position he was in. Everything went white.

**THUD**

"OW! Man, I hope that was the last time I needed to teleport! Jeez!" Bill began to feel hungry again, his stomach was growling. "Take it easy, you are going to get food soon! Now where in Viridian can I find a good place to eat?" Bill walked towards Viridian to look for a place to eat; it had to be a cheap place though, since he had to economize with the money he got.

'_Hey, wait a minute, where the hell did Master Zahn get 500 bucks from anyway? That's a hell a lot of cash! Oh well, better ask him that next time,'_ he pondered.

"This place look nice…" he walked into a restaurant, it was a pretty nice place, not too expensive looking. He sat down and he looked at the menu, mostly he found some complicated courses but he soon found a cheap one. _"Whew! They DO have some real food around here after all!"_ he thought, looking at the price. _"10.90 dollars? Quite average for me though, plus another 2 for the soda."_ He made his order and he began to think.

'_How will I actually do this? It's not like I just can walk up to someone and ask if I can spar with his/her Pokémon. Well, the Stop Watch comes in handy though. Something says me that this will be a long journey. God, this feels so stupid!'_

Bill looked out of the window, the weather was sunny; there was no single cloud in the sky and the sky was blue. _"Well, the weather is a bit better here than Sweden though…"_ Bill saw another teenage boy approach him.

"Hey, aren't you that guy my parents found by midday? Mind if I sit down?" he asked.

'_Oookay, a complete stranger just asked if he could sit down, better be polite. It seems that his parents must've been the ones, who found me,'_ Bill looked at him and smiled. "No, not at all." The boy sat down on the chair opposite of Bill's.

"Are you new around here?" he asked, he had short, dirty-blonde hair, his eyes were green-blue. He looked like he was younger than Bill and wore a sky-blue t-shirt and beige pants. Somehow, that boy reminded him of Max back home.

"I really don't know, man, I'm currently suffering from amnesia or something," excused Bill.

"Oh, that's pretty harsh," the other teen sympathized.

"Yeah, it feels so strange, you have these feelings you've seen places before but somehow know you haven't. And may I ask what your name is?"

"Oh, sorry. I'm Jonathan Huntley and I live here in Viridian. I'm a Pokémon trainer and I've been training for almost a year now, how 'bout you?"

"Bill Anderson, I am totally lost, I don't know exactly where I am except for here, though, and I don't know anything about Pokémon. Say do you know where there is any information about Pokémon?"

"Yeah, there is a library a few blocks away from here." Jonathan then saw the X formed cuts on Bill's pale red shirt. "Whoa, what happened to you back there? When I first heard from my parents that they found you, I thought that you'd been attacked by some wild Pokémon on the field, but judging by those cuts it must've been a-" he didn't get to finish since Bill interrupted him.

"A Scyther, I know," he said bitterly.

"So, what happened? Why did it slash at you?"

"I don't know, probably because I was in its territory," Bill mumbled. "I don't even know what I did to provoke it."

"But didn't you have anything on you? I mean, usually when someone trespasses and get caught it usually ends up that he/she gets robbed!"

Bill raised his eyebrows. "What? So they act like some kind of toll? What do they take? Do they use violence?"

"Nah, mostly potions and such, but I really wonder where they stash them," Jonathan started, but he realised he was getting off topic. "Yes, they do use violence, but only against the trespasser's Pokémon. You don't happen to be a trainer, do you?" asked Jonathan.

"No, I'm not a trainer, and I didn't have anything on me either," Bill said.

This comment made the blonde teen raise one of his eyebrows. "What? What the heck where you doing in that forest then?"

"I told you, I don't know!" Bill growled, irritated by that nosy kid.

"Sorry, it's just a little strange. I know this must've been asked before, but could I hear the story of what happened? Please, I really want to hear," Jonathan pleaded a little.

"Oh, please, I really hope that I won't have to tell everybody about this." Bill sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh well, I was in the forest, not knowing where I was so I just walked around and suddenly this Scyther cried out its name and landed right before me!"

"Whoa… right in front of you? What did you do? What did you do?" Jonathan seemed very curious.

"Calm down, no wait, I didn't calm down, YOU calm down Jonathan!" Bill half hysterically said to Jonathan. He sighed a little loudly and ran his fingers through his brown hair that was down to his neck "Now, as it stood in front of me with its blades ready to cut me in half it said something, had no idea what it said, anyway, to intimidate me it pointed to a branch wanting me to look… and it cut it off without any effort."

"Sorry for interrupting, Bill, but did you know that going through the Scyther territory saves a lot of time since it's a faster way out, it's more risky though, since the Scythers don't like it when humans trespass through their territory. And if you wondered why the authorities don't do anything about it, is because they're pretty strong for wild Pokémon. But you know, taking the shortcut is a risk to the one who does it," Jonathan explained.

"Okay… so I was scared, a lot, so I thought that maybe I should try to run away from it…"

"Are you out of your mind? Do you know how_ fast_ they are?"

"Yes I do now, but I didn't know it back then. Anyway, I tried to trick it by shouting 'look behind you!' to it and it surprisingly fell for it while I ran off in the opposite direction." Jonathan sighed and shook his head. "What? What would you do in a situation like that, huh?"

"I would use my Pokémon of course!" the blonde said obviously.

"But I didn't have any, and what if all of your Pokémon were in bad condition and unable to fight?" Jonathan remained silent, looking down. Bill's order came then, big meatballs with potatoes and lingonberry preserve, Bill looked at it for a while. Boy was he hungry; he hadn't eaten for a good while! The portion he had ordered was rather big but he might be able to finish it. He picked the knife and fork and began to eat.

"Whoa, you were me a hungry one!" Jonathan said, looking at Bill eating his portion.

"Yeah, I haven't eaten for a while and I really like everyday fare you know." Bill paused from his eating and took a big gulp from his soda, emptying by half.

"So… what happened while you were running?" Jonathan wanted to hear more of the story.

"Well, as I ran, I was getting tired, so I back pedalled slightly to see if it were on my tail. To my 'luck' it wasn't, but when I turned around, it stood there. Of course I stopped dead in my tracks; I was surprised that it got so ahead of me!" Jonathan gasped; it was getting very suspenseful to him. Bill continued telling the story, "and then it said something, I have no idea what it said, but when it finished it brandished its scythe-like arm at me and hit me right here on the chest." Bill pointed at the upper part of his shirt where the lighter cut had been delivered.

"I've never been that close to a Scyther… I've only seen them from a distance," Jonathan pointed out, but Bill seemed to ignore that.

"I felt no pain, but when I put my hand where it had slashed, I felt the pain, it hurt," he said, flinching at the thought. Then something came up in his mind. _'Oh no! What if he wants to hear everything what happened, I can't tell him about the Stop Watch! I have to come up with something good or he'll get suspicious for sure.'_

"No wonder why you didn't feel any pain. Scythers takes very much care of their blades when they aren't fighting, you know, they sharpen them once a week or something like that. But what happened? Don't leave me in the dark now, please!" Jonathan pleaded. Bill knew he just couldn't end his tale there, disappointing Jonathan like that.

"Yeah, uhm, where were I? Oh yeah, after it had cut me it placed one of its scythes under my chin like this." Bill took his knife, cleaned off the sauce with a serviette, and held it under Jonathan's chin. "And I, heh, just looked straight into its eyes…" Bill continued to think about how he was going to explain the escape. _"Come on think, Bill, think!"_

"Are you serious? I mean, you looked into its eyes? You had really lost it, hadn't you?"

"Yeah, it felt like the end was near anyway and I really didn't care what would happen. But as I looked into its eyes for a while it swatted me with the flat of the blade right here," he said as he pointed to his cheek, "and it shot me an icy glare and said something that I didn't understand again. It bent down slightly and positioned the scythe like this to my neck, threatening to slit it open." Bill took his knife and placed it near Jonathan's throat like a knife ready to slit it open.

"Tough situation dude, how come it didn't do it?" Jonathan said as Bill put his knife down again

"Killed me? Either its hunger was satisfied, or it wanted to have some fun-" he got interrupted by Jonathan who looked at him seriously.

"Bill, I'm not sure you knew this but, you know, Scythers might be predators by their nature, although they are omnivores too, which means that they can eat leaves, grass and such too," Jonathan lectured, sighing inwards, "but you got to know that they would _never_ eat a human! At least not the ones in this forest! I think they are aware of what consequences it could give them, and speaking of which, they sometimes rob the travellers on food when they're hungry," Jonathan assured, though Bill still wasn't certain if that was true. But if someone who lived by that forest claimed that, it could be true.

"Now that's a relief! But back to where I was: So it seemed to me that it wanted to have some fun, you know, hunting, and I asked that if I got out of the forest it would spare me, like that would happen anyway. So I tried to run again and I didn't notice it for a while, but I knew it was probably following me from a distance…" Bill was still thinking how he would make up a good story not involving the Stop Watch, and then he knew exactly how to continue.

"Uhh, Jonathan to Bill, would you please continue?" demanded an impatient Jonathan.

Bill scowled slightly at him, clearing his throat. "Ahem, do you want to hear what happened or not? I'm trying to remember here! And do you really believe what I say anyway?"

"Oh, sorry, I can get a little impatient sometimes. And yes I actually do believe you, since you tell it with such a feeling."

"Anyway, as I was running, the forest became lighter. I thought I was close to the exit of the forest until the Scyther appeared right in front of me, only to show me my running was all in vain. I thought that everything was lost. I even attempted to punch it in the face, but it blocked without any effort and pinned me to the nearest tree,"

"Hmm, another panic situation," Jonathan said matter-of-factly.

"Hell yeah it was! I was happy it didn't intend to literally disarm me for trying to punch it! Anyway, as it had me pinned to the tree, it backed away a few steps. It still had me in striking range, and it knew I wouldn't try to run. It slashed twice here," said Bill as he pointed at the X mark on his chest, "and I was pretty sure that would be a precious little target to it. It pulled back one of its deadly blades to make the killing move: by stabbing me in the middle of the bloody cross cut."

"But you're still alive, how come you escaped?"

"Well, it seemed that I had a guardian angel, I decided to end my life in an idiotic bravado, like in the movies. And that was by spitting at it. I gathered saliva in my mouth and spat at it, it's here the luck comes in: almost directly after I spat at it, it attempted to stab me, but the saliva hit it right in the eye, throwing it off balance. The stab was misaimed and it hit the tree, the blade had been buried halfway in and had stuck. I jumped out of the way quickly and was able to exit the forest, I heard it screech in fury as it still was stuck by the tree," Bill made up; he hoped that Jonathan would buy that end.

"Whoa, that was some adventure you had, did Scyther keep its promise?" he asked.

"Yeah, it did and it was _pissed_ I tell you. It had lost, to a human like me, heh."

"Figures. Its pride must've been hurt, Scythers are, in fact, quite honourable Pokémon. And seeing that you actually made your way out of the forest, you gained your freedom, and hurt its pride. If it had followed you anyway; its honour would be hurt too. But something bugs me, I know they wouldn't try to kill a human, they wouldn't. There must be something in your forgotten past that connects you with them," the younger teen assumed.

"Maybe… maybe. But I eventually made my way towards Viridian, when the bleeding got worse, well, you probably know the rest."

"Yeah, my parents and their friends found you and brought you to the PokéCentre. In case you wondered, they covered the bill," Jonathan informed.

"Gee, I wonder how much I owe them… are hospital bills high around here?" Bill wondered cautiously.

"No, fortunately not, the PokéCentre around here is funded by the government of Kanto, the name of this region, in case you wondered. My parents didn't really mind paying up the bill for you," Jonathan assured.

"Whoa, you really got some nice parents, Jonathan."

"Yeah, dad's pretty popular in Viridian because of his helpful attitude."

"I see. So now that you've heard my story. How 'bout you then? How is it to be a trainer?"

"It's pretty fun actually, even though I started a little late at the age of 13, and your Pokémon eventually become your friends," the younger teen started to explain.

"Sounds pretty boring to me…" the older teen remarked.

"Well you get to battle too, that's when the fun comes in! Battles can be looked at in different ways: first there are battles that are mostly friendly, and then there are battles where you train your Pokémon. Lastly, there are the battles where money is involved."

"Money? Like in a cock fight?" wondered Bill.

"Cock fight? What do you mean with that? No, when money is involved it's more like placing a bet who'll win. The usual limit is the half the total amount of the trainer with the least money on him/her. Sometimes during more unofficial bets, where people lie about how much they have, there are known cases on people who has fallen deeply in debt to another trainer," Jonathan said sighing.

Seeing Bill's interest in Pokémon he continued, "Well, apart from that, there are people who aspires to be the best, well, almost everybody does that. I aspire to at least make it to the Indigo Plateau; I don't even know if I'd make it there." He sighed and stayed silent for a while. "Anyway, to be able to participate in the championship, you need eight badges, and those can be obtained in the gyms of eight chosen cities. I don't have any badges yet… every time I try here in the gym of Viridian I get beaten, I'm not even close to winning."

"So, how many Pokémon are you training?"

"I have four, I will show you!" Jonathan took out four small, red and white balls which in turn enlarged. Bill was astonished, how did they do that? Jonathan then threw them up in the air, all at once.

"Okay, guys let's go!" he shouted lightly as four creatures appeared in a red light in front of Bill. Then a waiter came to Jonathan.

"Excuse me, young man, but we don't allow battles inside," he informed the blonde teen a little sternly.

"Oh, sorry, forgot," Jonathan called his Pokémon back and they disappeared in the same red light. "Hey Bill, could you pay the bill so we can get outside?" he then suggested.

Bill nodded and asked the waiter to come up to him so he could pay the bill. When he was done, he and Jonathan walked out so he could watch Jonathan's Pokémon.

"Okay, here we go, again!" he said a little excitingly as he tossed the pokéballs, one by one this time. The four Pokémon he had thrown out in the restaurant appeared again. Bill looked first at a green dinosaur-like creature with a green bulb on its back. "That's Bulbasaur, he was my first Pokémon. I chose him because he looks so cool and that he has a lot of status attacks!" Bill looked at Bulbasaur and walked to it.

"He looks kind of cute, do you mind if I pet him?" he asked, kneeling down to the green Pokémon.

"I don't mind, but I think that Bulbasaur would mind since he's a little stubborn," said Jonathan as his grass Pokémon growled at Bill, who stood up again.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur agreed, glaring at Bill.

"Heh, at least I don't have a big fat bud stuck on my back, you li'l Lightbulb," Bill muttered under his breath, too bad to him, the Bulbasaur heard that and narrowed his eyes at the disrespectful human.

"Sssaaur!" he growled as two vines extended from the bud and whipped him on his back.

"Ow! That hurt, you little," he snarled at the beginning but saw the little green Pokémon getting angrier, "Whoa, whoa, chill!"

"Bulbasaur! Behave yourself!" Jonathan scolded, the Bulbasaur calmed down at an instant, but shot Bill an angry glare. "I think I know why that Scyther must've attacked you, seeing how happy you are to insult Pokémon!" he then remarked.

"Hey, I didn't say anything bad to it! It had two frickin' blades for arms!" argued Bill.

"Oh well, no one's _that_ stupid, I suppose," he pointed at the, mainly orange-brown, bird that looked kinda fat for its small size, "That's Pidgey, I caught him three weeks ago, thought that I could have a flying Pokémon too," he finished.

"Ah, I see… let's just hope Pidgey doesn't get to 'high' on air, heh…" Bill looked at the purple rat; it was he smallest of them all but he could bet that it was very fast.

"This is Rattata," he said as the purple little rat jumped up in his arms, "she's the fastest of all my Pokémon. I train her very much so she can become quicker. Most of my opponents have underestimated her because of her size and that has been why they have lost," he proudly explained.

"Cool… lets just hope that she doesn't rat on you," Bill joked again.

"Ugh... Please spare me your bad jokes, damn!"

"Sorry, I like to make puns here and there," he said as he looked at Jonathan's last Pokémon, it was an orange with black stripes coloured dog and it looked very friendly, there was also some cream coloured fur on some parts of it too. "Wassup, dog?" he cracked yet another pun. The dog, however, barked happily. Jonathan grabbed the sides of his head, growing irritated by the pun.

"Arghh, you're killing me, Bill! Anyway, this is Growlithe; he's very friendly to everyone. He's a fire type so he has a huge advantage over Bulbasaur for example. He might be friendly yes, but when he's angry he can get very fierce I tell you. His fire attacks aren't something you play around with. Okay guys, return," Jonathan withdrew his pokéballs and called everybody in again.

"Wow, with a team like that you'd surely come far. But how come you don't have any badges?

"The gym here is so hard, my ass gets whupped all the time…" he said sadly, "I could start a journey to compete in another city but my parents won't let me do that alone," he finished.

"Why? Don't you have any… friends?" Bill asked awkwardly.

"Of course I do! It's just that they have already left of some years earlier, and now they're far away!" argued Jonathan.

"But I could go with ya, it's not that I have anything to do here," suggested Bill, he knew that if he tagged along with Jonathan he could learn more about Pokémon and how these… trainers battled.

"Really? I would appreciate that, but is that wise? I mean, mum will get pretty upset when she hears this! We haven't even known each other for two days!"

"Oh well, but you could convince her though. It's not like I'm some serial killer on the loose, right?" Bill joked.

"I guess so…" answered Jonathan, this Bill could be a good travelling partner, "and maybe it might help you remembering about your past too."

"Maybe, but how good are you at battling then?"

"I'm pretty good… I think, I've battled several trainers and I have only lost to a few," he started, "most of the times I've been training near Viridian Forest, but you know, I'm still not sure if I'll make it," he finished.

"Wow, then you could come pretty far, actually," Bill remarked.

"Oh, now another problem got to my head: The fact that I haven't started to journey yet is that I wouldn't make it in the Pewter gym since it specializes on rock Pokémon, which most of my Pokémon are weak to. And my parents said that they wouldn't let me journey if I didn't succeed in Pewter," a sad Jonathan said.

"Pewter City? Where is it located?" wondered Bill

"It's up Route 2 then into the forest…" explained the blonde teen.

"Uh-huh, I see, but if you haven't tried there why do you think you can't do it? Come on, you have to try at least!"

"Really?" asked Jonathan.

"Of course! If you just sit here and think you can't do it, you can't, you moron!"

"Well then, I appreciate your cheering Bill, you've given me hope. I've just planned to set off tomorrow, are you in for that?" he requested.

"Couldn't hurt, it might be fun!" Bill accepted.

"Great! But it's getting a little late, you should head back to the PokéCentre and get some sleep and-"

"You can sleep there?" Bill asked dumbfounded.

"Man, you're really dense, you know that? And if you just so you know, it's only free for trainers, so I'm afraid you'll have to pay. It's quite cheap anyway," Jonathan reassured.

"Gee, thanks dude! When will you leave?"

"I'm quite the heavy sleeper so we would leave about at 11 am."

"Good, then I might have some time to read at the library tomorrow, see ya!"

"Later."

Bill walked towards the PokéCentre, and tomorrow he would follow J. Huntley on a journey, of course he shouldn't forget his own journey. He started to wonder how he should train himself; it wouldn't be easy since people where everywhere. When he arrived to the PokéCentre, it wasn't as full as it was when he was there, good thing. He walked up to the pink haired nurse who stood in front of the desk.

"Hi, erhm, I mean good evening, nurse, is it okay if I can sleep here?"

"Of course it is! It's just down there in the corridor, second door to the left," she said happily, "You're not a trainer, are you?" Bill shook his head. "Then I'm afraid we have to charge you," she then informed.

"How much?"

"It's not that expensive, it's $10 for the night."

"No problem, nurse, just wait a little so I can get some cash," he said as he dug into his pocket where he had his money, "here," he said as he handed over a ten dollar bill. He walked down the corridor thinking about how nice everyone here was. _"One and two, it should be here,"_ he thought as he opened the door only to find a girl, who screamed when she saw Bill.

"AAAIEEEeee!"

"AAAaaaah! Sorry!" He slammed the door shut, his face burning red. "Hey, excuse me, nurse, did you say the second to the left?"

"Did I say left? Oh dear, I meant the right, I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"It's okay…" he walked to the opposite door and the room was empty, he sighed with relief, as he took of his clothes leaving his underwear he hopped into the bed. The room was rather small, though it only had one bed, and the walls were sky blue. While he was lying in the bed he began to think again. _'Man, I really wonder if I do fit in here, let's hope nothing happens…'_ He slowly drifted into sleep.

**CRASH!**

Bill shot up from the bed, fully awake, some loud sound had awoken him and he felt tired again.

"Great! Just as I fell asleep, I'm awakened!" he shouted. He was pissed while he dressed so he could go out and see what had happened.

"When I get that idiot he's dead for sure!" he grumbled, gritting his teeth. He walked out and towards the lobby.

"What are you doing? These aren't your Pokémon you thieves!" Bill heard the nurse say, he knew what happened, the PokéCenter was being robbed. He sighed to himself because he didn't have a phone so he could call the police. Before he went to the lobby, where he assumed these thieves were, he searched after some kind of temporary weapon so he could overpower them in some way, he hoped they didn't have any guns. He examined a stretcher, pulling out a metal stick that was inside it that suited well for a weapon, seeing that the only phone in this centre was in the lobby, he had to fight in his duty to be a world saver.

'_Well, I guess I'm gonna play hero tonight, I hope they aren't too many,'_ he thought as he closed in to the lobby.

"Hey, let me go, you scumbags!" a female voice demanded. Bill was pretty sure that it was the voice of that girl he accidentally visited earlier. His grip on the metre long metal stick tightened in anger, thieves or not, armed or not, he was ready to rumble.

When he entered the lobby he saw a couple of thugs dressed in black jumpsuits or something, on the suits there was a red "R" on the torso. There were five of them, and they all looked like they the late teens, some might have entered the twenties. Two of them were stealing pokéballs, one holding a sack and the other loading it, one was holding the nurse in an armlock so she couldn't push some alarm button, the fourth had pinned down the girl Bill had seen earlier, and the fifth was keeping a watch by the entrance. No one had noticed him yet, they were busy, loading up the pokéballs.

"HEY! What the heck are you doing? Let them go, you cowards!" he shouted, regretting it in an instant since that caught everybody's attention. The ones who loaded up the pokéballs froze for a moment, looking at the teen who dared to interfere.

Bill wasn't going to let his courage sink so he advanced towards them slowly, holding the metal stick with both hands, ready to defend himself if anyone tried to make a move. "You heard me, let them go! Pick on someone in your own size!" he shouted. Some of the thugs began to grin, which made Bill nervous.

"Like you, for instance?" the one who had the girl pinned down suggested. The one who loaded the pokéballs into the sack advanced slightly towards the boy.

"Um, yeah, I'm gonna bitch you up!" he snarled, readying his stick into a defensive position.

"Young man! Mind your language!" scolded the nurse. Bill looked at her and sighed, but he quickly turned his attention to those thugs.

"Look at that kid who thinks he's some knight in a shining armour coming to save the damsels in distress!" the one who held the nurse taunted.

"Oh yeah? So what does those geeky "R's" stand for, huh? Retard?" countered Bill, suddenly realizing what it might stand for. "Oh, my bad! You're Team Racket, aren't you?" he said. All four of them seemed rather pissed at that. Four? Weren't there five of them? Suddenly realizing that the fifth one, the one who was keeping a watch, wasn't there, he must be trying to sneak up on him from behind.

Upon realizing that, he jabbed his metal stick backwards, hoping that he would hit the one behind him if he was behind. To his 'luck', he was behind him, and he hit him right in the stomach, causing him to lose his air. Then, he did a short vertical swing right towards the thug's face, knocking him down.

"You crazy kid! Get him!" the stricken thug yelled, cursing the teen and holding his face in pain. The ones who were loading the sack with pokéballs ran to Bill, mostly intended to steal his metal stick he used for weapon.

As the Racket thugs quickly approached, Bill spun around once and swiped the left one on his legs, bringing him down to one knee, and then hit the other one on the right kidney.

"That kid is a frickin' lunatic!" the one who was stricken in the kidney yelled.

Bill walked up to the one who had pinned down the girl, he stopped when he heard a voice from the counter.

"Hey, kid! One more step and I'll kill the nurse!" the one holding the nurse threatened. Bill stopped dead in his tracks, he didn't know if he'd actually do it but he stopped just in case. "Good, now throw away that staff of yours, NOW!" he bellowed. Bill's anger still remained.

'_Throw it away? I'll show you throw away!'_ he thought angrily as he threw the metal staff right in the face at the Racket thug who was holding the girl down to the ground. He staggered back by the blow and the girl quickly got up.

"Ray! Get that girl" the racket who held the nurse shouted.

"Hey, get the cops on the phone over there, quick!" ordered Bill. When the girl ran to the phone that was near the entrance, the thug he had knocked down first made a run for it to stop her. Bill saw this and lunged at him to stop him, but that wasn't very smart, since the thug was stronger than he was. He grabbed Bill by the collar and shoved him up the wall.

"Not so tough without that staff of yours, now are you?" said Ray, who the thug's name probably was since it was him who went for the girl, who now had picked up the receiver.

"Hey, girl, put that receiver down or the nurse will pay for what you do!" the leader thug said, it must've been the leader since it was him giving out orders all the time. He turned to Bill. "And by the way, it's Team _Rocket_, you idiot!" he corrected.

"Same shit!" countered Bill, only to be punched in the stomach by Ray who held him. He quickly recovered and kicked him in the sensitive part between the legs. That made him let go of Bill, which allowed Bill to swiftly punch him in the face. "That'll teach ya," he muttered as he turned to the leader.

"You really are persistent, you little rat. It's time to put an end to this, so I've planned that you'll meet a friend of mine, I think you will like each other," the leader Rocket said darkly, shoving the nurse down to the floor. He picked up an all familiar object and enlarged it, it was a pokéball he had in his hands and he threw it on the floor.

A much larger version of Growlithe appeared, only that it looked as it was full grown and it was much bigger. The orange fur it had was a little redder than its pre-evolutionary form, though the black stripes could be seen on it, and it had more of that cream coloured fur around its mane. In some ways, it resembled like a crossbreed of a dog and a lion.

"Arcanine, teach that kid a lesson! Bring him down to the ground!" ordered the leader. The huge dog pounced at the teen and hit its front paws on his chest, brining him down to the floor with a thud. Bill tried to push it off but it seemed to weight a ton, and it snarled menacingly at him to make him calm down.

"You're wrong, you racket, I don't like him at all!" said Bill as he tried to breathe normally since the pressure from the dog's weight made it difficult to breathe.

"Oh really? I think he still likes you. And it's Team Rocket! Arcanine, enough playing around, bite him in the neck to teach him not to mess with Team Rocket again!" he ordered. The dog bent down, shifting its weight so it became heavier for Bill, and opened its mouth, preparing to rip his throat out.

"Oh shit, no!" screamed Bill as he tried to push the Arcanine away in vain. He punched it on the muzzle hoping it would back away, but that only made it angrier. He felt the hot breath from the majestic dog as it s jaws closed in to Bill's neck, if he transformed now he'd be caught by those rocket thugs. He put his hands at the dog's neck trying to hold it away that way, but it grew more annoyed and snapped at him.

"Come on, Arcanine! Don't let that kid stop you!" the leader rocket yelled at his Pokémon. Arcanine lifted its front paws and brought them down on Bill's shoulders, holding his arms in place and making him completely defenceless. "When he's dealt with, we make our escape," he told his fellow thugs.

Bill watched the jaws of death as they closed in, he couldn't do anything, it would at least be quick he hoped. Just as the Arcanine's jaws were about to bite him, a gunshot was heard, the dog lifted its head up to look where the noise had come from.

"Freeze, everyone, this is the police!" a female voice yelled.

"Damn! How did they know?" the leader muttered. He then shot a glare towards the girl, "you…" he growled.

"Recall your Pokémon, you rocket!" ordered the police officer. The leader knew it would be unnecessary to try to fight those cops so he recalled his Arcanine.

"You were lucky this time, kid," he muttered as he threw a smoke grenade. No one actually saw anything, but when the smoke cleared, the rockets were gone.

"Whoa, that was a close one," said Bill as he got up only to be attacked by a Growlithe, "hey! I'm innocent!"

"Growlithe stop it, he's not one of them," said the female officer, and the dog sat down, still eyeing the teen.

"Whew, how did you know the rockets were here, officer?" he asked.

"We received a phone call which we traced. Since nobody spoke we suspected it was a distress call," she said, turning to the nurse, "second attack towards this centre this month, Mary, I wonder what those rockets are up to."

"Let's hope it was the last for a long time, Jenny," said the nurse, whose name seemed to be Mary.

Officer Jenny turned to Bill and the girl, "you two! I'd like to ask some questions!" she said.

"Aw man, I need some sleep," Bill whined.

"Yeah, me too," said the girl.

"It'll be quick," the officer ensured, taking a closer look at Bill, "aren't you that boy who was attacked earlier this day?" Bill nodded. "Quite the trouble maker, now are you? What exactly happened here?"

Bill, the nurse and the girl explained how the rockets came in, overpowered the girl, which Bill didn't know of. Then they explained Bill's fight against them with that metal stick, he said that it was a part of a stretcher not far from where they were, and it wasn't broken. The girl had put the number in before she had let go of the receiver, which had alerted the cops.

After getting a scolding here and there for irresponsible acts, the girl and Bill was finally allowed to go to their rooms.

"Man, what a night, who are you by the way?" he asked the girl, who raised an eyebrow.

"If it really matters, it's Pat, what's yours?"

"Bill, nice to meet you, man I'm tired, later," he went to his room and changed to his underwear, lying down in the bed and fell asleep almost instantly

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

So, that was a long chapter, I hope you can live with them, and don't forget that blue button! I like reviews!


	7. Gone Shopping

**_Chapter 6_**

Disclaimer (I'm starting to hate these): I do not own Pokémon, bla blabla…

One more thing to say so readers don't get confused, I am not including the Hoenn Region, just so you know that, I have absolutely no knowledge about that area! I weren't much into Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald. (Fun fact: The newer region, Orre, lol. My other last name is Orre, my cousin's last name is Orre. Funny)

"So, Bill, now we're loaded to go let's hit it!" – Jonathan Huntley

* * *

"_**Gone Shopping…"**_

_Bill found himself in that forest again, looking the Scyther in the eyes. He was challenging it, as he didn't have a choice; he was going to run from it. With the stop watch given by Tchang he had decided to 'cheat'… he darted away from it and kept running for a while, soon he would be enough far away from it to activate the watch, and then it happened._

_THUD_

_He had tripped because he was careless, he had fallen down face first to the ground and his watch was dropped a distance away. He scrambled to his feet to get the watch, it was his only chance of survival and he couldn't waste it just like that. His heart was beating at a very high speed when he picked up the watch, his head start must've expired so he pushed the button. "Here goes nothing!" he said, closing his eyes, and waiting._

"_Ssscyther…" Bill heard what sounded like a hissing growl. Now realizing that his situation was hopeless, he opened his eyes slowly, only to see the green praying mantis standing there, tapping its foot impatiently. It wondered why the human suddenly had stopped. Bill pushed the button again to start the time again, he knew that Scyther had been inside the 10 m radius when he stopped the time._

_Scyther, however, was not very amused by Bill's watch, it didn't know what the watch did, but it was sure that the human must've been trying to cheat. _That_ was the last straw!_

_Bill saw in Scyther's eyes that it was looking at his watch. 'Busted!' he thought, he found himself looking right at the tip of its scythe, and then it raised its other scythe preparing to kill him. _

'_This is it,' he thought, his body was shaking in fear. 'Now it's going to kill me…' He heard its cry when he brought down its scythe at him._

"_SCYYYY!"_

"AAAaah!" Bill shot up from his bed; he was sweating and breathing fast. "It was just a dream, Bill, just a dream," he said to himself trying to calm down. He looked at his watch, wondering what time it was.

"9:25 am? Jeez, I gotta go now if I'm going to the library…" He got dressed, fixed his looks and exited his room, heading for the lobby. When he had arrived he saw Pat, the girl from yesterday, in the lobby too.

"Oh, you again," she said, looking at Bill, obviously not happy to see him.

"Hey, I helped you back there, and about that room incident, it was an accident," ensured Bill.

"Yeah, right, you just happened to drop in while I was dressing," she spat back.

"Hey, you can ask the nurse if you don't believe me." The girl, who looked like she was at the same age of Jonathan, walked to the nurse and asked if what Bill said, was true. Bill however, examined the girl; she had black hair and was about 1.69 m tall. She wore blue jeans and a white-green striped t-shirt.

"Okay, I believe you but if it happens again…" She cracked her knuckles to intimidate Bill, who just sighed. Bill would've never even think about hitting a girl, with the exception of them being armed and threatening to kill him maybe.

"Sure, it won't happen. So, are you a trainer too?" asked Bill, she nodded.

"Yeah, wanna battle?" Pat suggested.

"Nah, I'm not into that stuff, just wondered," he said, disappointing her.

"Well, I'm going to take some rest here a couple of days, three or so…" she informed.

"Oh! Well, don't let me disturb you on your vacation then. But I really gotta go now, thanks for letting me stay here, nurse!" he thanked as he left for the door. Before he exited through the door he turned to look at Pat, "Until next time, Pat, Tja då, och vila upp dig riktigt nu!" he said in his natural language, liking to see the girl totally dumbstruck. He then left through the door.

"What did he say?" she didn't understand what had said when he left. The nurse sighed.

"I really don't know, he's suffering from memory loss, and he might not be from here," the nurse concluded.

When Bill left the PokéCentre he headed for the library, he thought about the nightmare he'd had. _'Man… that was some wicked dream! Why do I have this feeling I've seen it before? Am I suffering from memory loss? I really need to settle the score with that Scyther someday,'_ he thought. When he was closing in to the library he hoped he could get some useful pieces of information there. When he entered it was somewhat empty. _'Good, then I can read alone undisturbed,'_ he thought, walking up to the librarian.

"Excuse me, do you have any books about Pokémon?" Bill asked him, hoping that he won't make an idiot of himself, again.

"Which kind of book do you want? Information about types, starters or the Pokémon encyclopaedia?" he asked. There was a touch of indolence in his voice. Bill thought for a while, maybe he should go through the encyclopaedia first so he knew something about the Pokémon.

"I would like to read the Encyclopaedia here, please."

"It's, uhm, over there, third row. You can't miss them…" the dull librarian sluggishly said.

"Thanks!" Bill headed for the third row, when he got there he saw a couple of thick books which read:

_Pokémon of Kanto Region Encyclopaedia._

And he saw another one which read:

_Pokémon of Johto Region Encyclopaedia._

Since he knew which region he was in thanks to Jonathan, he took the Kanto one from the shelf. He looked at the watch in the library, it showed 10:07. _'Gee, time flies when you have fun,'_ he thought.

He put the book on the table and sat down while he opened it. _'This is going to take time to read all this!'_ he thought while reading it. He then thought about that Mewtwo… he wondered what information about it he could find, he browsed through the encyclopaedia to the directory. He searched for the word Mewtwo but the only two he could find that were something like it was Meowth and Mew.

"Hey, excuse me, is this the latest version?" he asked the librarian, who sighed.

"Yes it is actually this year's edition, could you be a little quieter please?"

"Okay okay…." Bill was a little confused, if he couldn't find Mewtwo in this encyclopaedia maybe it should be in the other one… he took out the other encyclopaedia, which was a little lighter, and searched through the dictionary.

No Mewtwo. _'What the heck? Is there absolutely no information about this freak? Maybe I should check Mew,'_ he thought as he put the Johto encyclopaedia back and looked which page the information about Mew was. _'A legendary? The illustration reminds me of that freak, but it's claimed to be pink. And very few have claimed to see it…'_

Then something hit him. _'Mew, Mewtwo. Hey, Mew Two! Team Racket, uhh, Rocket must have something with this to do! Now I really need to check that! Later…'_ He read the encyclopaedia going through the various Pokémon, though he didn't come very far since Jonathan dashed into the library.

"Hey, Bill! Are you gonna sit here all day or what? It's 11:15 already!" he said, frustrated, he must've been waiting for Bill at the PokéCentre.

Bill looked up from the encyclopaedia. "Oh, what? Sorry, Jonathan, I didn't know reading this could be so interesting and time consuming." Bill said, he had forgotten the time. He put the book in the bookshelf. _'Maybe I shouldn't tell anyone about Mewtwo… I shouldn't even mention it to any rocket either…'_

"You're a pretty slow reader, aren't you?" asked Jonathan, as if he tried to taunt Bill.

"Nah, it's just that I'm trying to remember some stuff too, might sound stupid to order a Charizard to do a Water Gun attack…"

"Yeah, yeah, not even you could be so stupid," he said as he chuckled lightly. Then he put his had on his forehead, "Oh no, I forgot to buy some stuff to our journey, hey Bill, let's go to the PokéMart!"

"Yeah, why not?" _'PokéMart? Nice friggin rip-off from Wal-Mart, I think,'_ he thought, tagging along with Jonathan to the, what he assumed to be a shop of some kind. "You know, ehm, is it okay if I call you Jon?"

"Yeah, that's okay, oh, here we are! The building over there, Bill, is the PokéMart; there you can buy all the equipment a trainer need. Ranging from pokéballs to sleeping bags, Pokémon food to, ehm, real food." He pointed at a building which reminded Bill of a PokéCentre but it read PokéMart on top of the building instead.

'_Oh god I hate shopping,'_ thought Bill as he and Jon entered the mall, it was like one big hall with many small shops.

"Okay, what we need is the following," Jon said as he brought up a checklist over items, "hey, Bill, let's do this now so it's over with!"

"Yeah, yeah… sounds like a plan." They walked up to one shop which seemed to be an items-for-journey shop.

"Hi, I would like a sleeping bag, a map, a brown backpack, a flashlight and some batteries for it, please," Jonathan asked politely.

"And a parachute if you have one," Bill added in.

"Now, why the heck would I need a parachute for?" asked Jonathan, pretty confused.

"Because you always keep falling for my jokes…" the blonde teen sighed and shook his head.

"Bill, for crying out loud, I don't know where you get everything from, but please stop!" he whined.

"That'll be $38.95, sir," said the clerk, who had watched the somewhat funny conversation. Jon took out some money from his wallet and paid him. Bill then stepped forward to buy some stuff too.

"I would like to have the same he chose, but include a rope too, and instead of a brown I would like that olive green backpack, please," he said to the clerk. He turned to the younger teen, "in case you were wondering, I get everything from my head.

"And that'll be $45.90," the clerk said to Bill, who picked up his money from his blue jeans and gave it to the clerk.

"So, Bill, after we've bought some pokéballs, which are used for catching Pokémon…" Jon started to explain, holding a pokéball in of Bill. Bill suddenly felt like he was sweating, that must've been because of the fear the ball might capture him one day.

"Yeah, I know what it is, Jon. I read it in the encyclopaedia in the library. It's a red and white ball which is constructed to catch a Pokémon. The odds of succeeding a catch depend on how weak it is. It also has the ability to shrink and enlarge due to the sopho-constracture-engineering of…"

"Okay, okay. I get it; you know what it is… where was I? Oh, and we also need to buy some Pokémon food and other vital supplies. When that is over with, I am finally going to start my journey… I am so excited, how 'bout you?"

"Well, for me it's more like getting to know more about Pokémon. They seem to be quite interesting… and some of them seem to be fierce," he shuddered, thinking of that nightmare he'd had.

Jonathan looked at him with his green blue eyes, as if he read Bill's mind. "You're referring to that Scyther, right? You know, there are a lot of Pokémon that doesn't like humans, some more fierce," Jon said, adding in some sympathy for Bill because he had been attacked. "It is true, isn't it?"

"Of course it's true, how do you think I got those cuts anyway? A mugger with a knife?"

"Your change sir…" The clerk had been waiting for Bill to take his things and get his change.

"Oh, sorry, thank you very much, bye!" he quickly said as he and Jon headed for the other supply shop, carrying their stuff. Lucky for them, the stuff wasn't close to heavy, yet.

"Okay, let me see… I would like some pokéballs, Pokémon food, two super potions, five regular potions and some regular food." Jon said as he put up some of his cash on the counter. The 'regular' food consisted most of sandwiches and such.

Bill looked at Jonathan, who scoffed. "I can't cook really well, you know," he said.

"Neither do I, heh," replied Bill, who walked up to the counter, "I would like some regular food only, please." When he bought his share of sandwiches and a small piece of cooked meat, he turned to Jonathan.

"So, Bill, now we're loaded to go let's hit it!"

"Yeah!" cheered the older teen.

"But first… I have an appointment at the men's room!" Jonathan said as he started to sprint towards the men's room.

"Oh, man… you better make it quick! I'll wait outside."

Bill waited outside the men's room for Jonathan, he sure took his time! Suddenly the lights were shut off. _'A blackout?'_ he thought, he could still see where the exit was, so it was not pitch black…

"THIS IS A RAID!" someone yelled out, Bill could see that he held a gun, and he seemed to be the leader.

"NOBODY MOVES!" another one shouted, this one was female, and she had what looked more like an assault rifle. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR!" she shouted again. Bill lay down on the floor, he really didn't have time to get shot and die. One of the thugs walked up to the cashier with a gun pointed to his head.

"Hand over the cash, mister, and put them in this sack. And don't bother pushing the alarm button, the power is down. And no heroic shit trying to whip up that shotgun!" he said as he pointed the rifle at the cashier's head, who was scared out of his mind as he loaded the sack with wads of money,

Bill looked around as he lay down; everybody was lying down, not doing anything. He couldn't stop them alone, and the power was down so he couldn't trigger any alarm.

"Hey, Bill. What's going on out there?" Jonathan whispered from the men's room.

"The Mart is getting robbed; it must be Team Rac… Rocket thugs who's behind this. Is there a window at the toilet?" he whispered back.

"Yeah, there is, what do you want me to do?" the blonde teen asked.

"Open it and go through it and get the police, duh! These guys are armed."

"Okay, I'll try…"

"Good, but you need to hurry up, if money is the only thing they came for then…" He heard steps advancing towards him, fast. It was the leader who had noticed that Bill was talking "Go now! Hurry!" he ushered.

"Who the hell are you talking to, kid? ANSWER ME!" he shouted at Bill, who looked up. They both recognized each other. "YOU!" shouted the leader, it was the same rocket who'd tried to kill him at the PokéCentre. He had the same jump suit with the red R on it he'd had when they tried to rob the PokéCentre.

"Oh, heh, h-hi, nice day t-to rob a store n-now, isn't it?" he said awkwardly, shaking in fear. The rocket grabbed him, lifted him up from the floor and pushed him up against the wall.

"Who were you talking to?" He questioned, holding his gun to Bill's left cheek; Bill could feel the cold metal being pressed against his cheek.

"N-no one, I was j-just t-talking to m-myself…"

"Do you think I was born yesterday? Who's in the toilet?"

"No one!" answered the brown haired teen defiantly.

Meanwhile, after Jonathan heard Bill say "Go now" he had sneaked to the window so the rockets couldn't hear him in there. He carefully opened the window and crawled out, it was a pretty small window so he had to leave his stuff there, and when he got out he closed the window. _'Okay, I need to get to the police station _fast_ or hope to find an officer on the way,'_ he thought while he was running to the police station, he started to close in and when he entered the building he ran to the officer ho was behind the desk.

"Officer (pant), you got (huff) to help (puff) me!" he said, trying to gain his breath after all running.

"What has happened?" asked the male officer.

"There's a raid over at the PokéMart and I think it's Team Rocket who's behind it. And they're armed too it seems!"

"I will call in all forces around Viridian. You wait here, boy," the officer ordered, grabbing a hold of a walkie-talkie.

"But my friend is in there too! They caught him whispering to me!" Jonathan protested.

"Wait a minute, boy, I'm only going to call the other officers…" The officer took out a microphone contacting the other officers. "Base to VI-64 do you copy?"

"VI-64 here, what's happening?" a female voice said, Jonathan knew that it was the slightly zealous officer Jenny.

"There's a raid at the PokéMart, suspects might be armed, contact other units! Over and out!" He turned to Jonathan. "You come with me, boy; you can't keep hanging around here while I'm gone!" The two ran out from the police station and headed for the Mart.

_(In the Mart)_

"Do not make it worse for yourself, brat, is there anyone in the toilet?" the leader asked once again, losing his temper.

"Not anymore," Bill answered, knowing that Jonathan must've gotten out by now.

"You son of a…" he growled as he pulled back the trigger of his gun.

"Hey, Rodney! We got all the money! Should we go for the Pokémon people have too?" one of the rockets said, revealing the leader's name.

"You've got to be kidding me. Rodney?" Bill started to laugh. "Man, what a name, hahaha!"

"You better take that back right now or else," Rodney pushed his gun at Bill's cheek even more, threatening to shoot. The teen gulped, it was very unpleasant to have a gun that close, and provoking the owner could end his life.

"Eh, hehe, how do I know it's a real gun? You wouldn't do it, would you?" he said awkwardly. Rodney smiled, aiming his gun up towards the ceiling and fired a shot. The loud bang was heard in the mart, people who lay down on the floor screamed in fright for a moment, but they then got quiet. All of the rockets looked at the direction.

The cashier took advantage of the situation and grabbed his shotgun he had hidden under the counter and aimed at some of the rockets. The one with the rifle dropped his weapon in surprise when he saw the barrels pointing right into his eyes.

"Hand over the sack to me now, mister!" the cashier demanded, the rocket handed over the sack of money and then put his hands in the air. The cashier loaded his shotgun which made the rocket back away.

"Don't try anything, old man, you don't want anything to happen, do you?" Rodney sneered as he pointed his gun at the cashier. But by doing so, Bill seized the opportunity and kicked the rocket's hand so he dropped the gun, and then he punched the rocket in the face when he turned around, making him let go of Bill.

Bill ran to where the gun had landed and dived for it. When he got a hold of the gun he heard the sound of arming many guns, he looked up and saw four rockets pointing their guns at him.

"What should we do, Rodney?" asked Ray, Bill recognized him when he cast a glance at the rocket who spoke, "Shoot him?" he then suggested. Rodney, who had recovered after the blow, shook his head.

"No, I got a better idea of disposing of him," he said darkly, turning to Bill, "You know, kid, getting burned to death isn't the most pleasant death," he finished as he picked up his pokéball, hurling it towards the boy. The same, huge dog Bill met last night, Arcanine, appeared in front of him. He jumped to his feet and readied his mind to anticipate what the majestic canine was about to do.

"Oh no, not you again," he whined. The dog snarled angrily at him, ready to attack.

"Arcanine, attack him!" Rodney ordered his Pokémon, who growled and charged towards Bill. The orange dog rammed into him before he knew what hit him, and he was sent flying a short distance. His air was knocked out of him too. When he tried to get up he heard an intimidating snarl from the massive dog.

'_Okay, now what? I got a huge, freaky fire dog that threatens to burn me if I make one wrong move,'_ he thought. The Arcanine growled slightly as it slowly approached.

"Don't burn him yet, play around with him for a while until I tell you to burn him," said Rodney, and Arcanine backed away from Bill, letting him stand up. When Bill stood up, he knew that this dog would play around with him until that rocket was bored.

Arcanine started to advance again, ready to pounce at him. He really wished he had some kind of weapon, but he hadn't got one. It leaped at him, trying to slam him down just like it did last night, but he was ready and jumped out of the way. This caused the canine to miss, but Bill then was trapped in a corner.

The fire Pokémon noticed that and slowly advanced, with a small evil smile could be seen. Whatever Bill tried now, he'd be doomed, and transforming here would be a good idea. Saving the world is harder than it sounds, isn't it? But he had a guardian angel, the lights were turned on, and all of the rocket members were stunned by the sudden light.

"THIS IS THE POLICE, NOBODY MOVES!" Someone shouted in a megaphone, it was a police force, led by Officer Jenny.

'_About time!' _Bill thought relieved.

"EVERYBODY PUT YOUR GUNS ON THE FLOOR!" she then demanded. All of the rockets dropped their guns to the floor except Rodney. It seemed to Bill that the rockets didn't dare to fight the police, what a bunch of wimps!

"Hey! Are you giving p that easily?" Bill mocked, despite his situation. Rodney looked at him, even more pissed off.

"Why you little," he snarled looking at Bill, it was time to end this. Now or never! He looked at the cops who had their guns pointed at him and looked back to Bill. "Arcanine, it's time to end this! Burn h-" he was cut off by a gunshot; the bullet ricocheted on the floor close to his feet and continued towards the wall where it stuck somewhere inside. Rodney fell silent immediately.

'_Whoa, that was accurate…'_ Bill looked on in awe. The one who had shot was Officer Jenny herself, and she was now advancing towards Rodney. He took the hint and called his Arcanine back in the pokéball.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the infamous rocket Rodney Adams," she said as she advanced towards him. "I'm charging you for first attempting to rob the PokéCentre, secondly for attempting to rob this place and thirdly for using your Pokémon for violence against a human," she finished.

'_What's taking them? Why don't they throw their flashbangs?'_ Rodney thought as Jenny approached him.

"Turn around and get down on your knees!" she ordered, Rodney knew that he hadn't any choice so he did what he was told to. When Jenny stood right behind him she continued, "Put your hands behind your head, nice and slowly." She took out a pair of handcuffs preparing to handcuff him.

"NOW!" one of the rockets yelled, she had been waiting for an opportunity to throw her flashbang when the cops had their attention to Rodney. When it exploded, a white light engulfed the area. It was a short flash but the magnesium had blinded all of the cops and the rockets made a run for it.

"STOP THEM, ANYONE!" some of the officers yelled. Bill could not see anything, he had been blinded too, and saw nothing but white, but it began to clear.

"Sorry, but I really gotta go now bye-aaAAAH!" Rodney was running to the exit, he had, as the other rockets, covered his eyes during the flash. But someone had tripped him, it was a kid with dirty blonde hair, beige pants and he had a white t-shirt, he held on to Rodney's leg.

"HEY! Let go of me you little shit!" Rodney started to hit the kid but he didn't let go. "Dammit, kid, let go of me now or I'll kill you!" he shouted as he started to punch even harder at the kid, who groaned in pain. Suddenly, Jenny had run up to Rodney and grabbed him in an arm lock, handcuffing him.

"You're under arrest, Rodney Adams!" she said, satisfied of her new catch. Bill then came out running to the boy who Rodney had tried to beat up.

"Jon! Are you okay? Please answer me!" he said, worried if Jon had got some serious injuries.

"Yeah, (cough) I'm okay, damn that hurt," Jon answered, happy that he did something good. Officer Jenny, though, was not very happy what Jonathan had done.

"Young man, never have I seen something so _reckless_ and _stupid_ attempt to stop someone!"

"But officer…" Jonathan protested.

"No buts here! This man could've easily killed you, he night have been armed with a knife…"

"Excuse me, officer, but he actually _did_ stop him and-" Bill explained but was cut off.

"I was not talking to you… you again?" Jenny looked at Bill, folding her arms. "It seems that you like to be at criminal places, is that a hobby to you?"

'_Oh no, here goes…'_ he thought, knowing that he would be questioned, again.

"Now I want a revision of what happened," she demanded.

"Why me? There are a lot of people in there who saw what happened too!" he argued.

"Because you seem to be a kid who likes to get into trouble! And I will make sure the officers in the other towns do so too."

"Okay, you win, officer. What happened was this: Jon and I, we were shopping, and when we were done, we decided to leave. And then he needs to go to the men's room…"

"Oh blast it! I forgot my stuff at the toilet!" Jonathan cried, remembering his stuff he left there.

"Yeah, and as I waited outside the lights went off, and these rockets come in and have this stick up. Everybody lay down when they shouted us to do so… but since I was close to the door Jon and I communicated to each other where I told him to escape through the window and getting the police."

"Yeah, that was a good idea, Bill. But please officer I need to get my stuff."

"All right, you can go now, I'm going to ask some of the other witnesses what happened," Officer Jenny said as she dismissed the two boys.

Bill and Jonathan, however needed to get back into the PokéMart, they needed to get their stuff! When they came in there was officers everywhere, when Bill headed to the men's room to get his stuff outside the door a police officer stepped in front of Bill.

"What are you think you're doing?" he asked suspiciously, "Do these belong to you?"

"Yes they are, here's the receipt," Bill said, handing the receipt to the police officer, who looked at it.

"Confirmed, you can get them, now if I only could get inside to see who's hiding in there…" Bill went for his stuff while Jonathan walked to the officer.

"Excuse me, officer, but there isn't anyone in there…"

"What? How do you know, kid?"

"Since the only who went to the toilet before the stick up was… me."

"WHAT? But how did you get out with the door still locked?"

"I climbed out from the window, and no, you can't open it from the outside, so I'm pretty stuck here with my stuff in there, and here's the receipt for my stuff," said Jonathan, handing the receipt to the male officer.

"Brilliant, now how are we supposed to get in now?" The officer looked a little annoyed.

"Well, the one who surely got all the keys must be the janitor!" Bill said, making a wise-ass conclusion.

"Then we need to find the janitor!" The officer said matter-of-factly.

"That will not be hard… since he's just over there." Bill pointed at the janitor; it was obvious to him that that was the janitor, since he was pushing a cart where all kinds of cleaning equipment were in it. "Hey, excuse me, could you please lock up this door? There isn't anyone in there, just a pile of stuff in there."

"But how come it's locked then?" the janitor asked, he was in the 60's and must've worked here for years.

"Erh, I went in through the door, and exited through the window when the place was robbed," Jonathan explained.

"Today's youth… can't even use the same door," he muttered as he opened the door, Jonathan ran in and got his stuff.

"Finally, let's start this journey!"

"Yeah, let's rock'n roll, baby!" Everybody stared at Bill. "Uhh, never mind, bye!" Bill and Jonathan walked out from the PokéMart and towards the exit from Viridian City.

"Hey, Jon, by the way, do these Team Rocket fellows always cause trouble here this often?"

"No, I wonder what brought them here, though Rodney was infamous from other cities as well. You really should watch out for these guys, they can get very vengeful. They are also known for stealing Pokémon from people and other things…"

"But, Bill, before we leave, I need to say goodbye to my parents first, care to meet them?" he then suggested.

Bill shrugged. "Couldn't hurt, and it'd be my only opportunity to thank them for helping me yesterday," he then said, following his friend to where he lived.

They arrived to a small white house with brick red roof, and Jonathan walked through the brown door.

"Mum, dad?" he called. His mother arrived, she was taller than Bill, and she had curly red hair and her body was a little round.

"Your father's working, dear," she informed. She then looked at Bill, "Oh, so this is the boy who was injured yesterday?" she studied him for a while, before turning to her son, "Jonathan, if you're going to journey with him I want you to call me as soon as you reach a new city," she said, worried of her son's safety.

"Don't worry, mum, Bill's with me and-" started Jonathan but his mother interrupted him.

"Are you journeying with him? But how do you know it's safe? You've only known him for two days," she said.

"Mum, he's suffering from a memory loss; he didn't even know which town he was in. And besides, he might get his memory back if he gets to one of the towns, right Bill?" said Jonathan. Bill nodded, but inside he felt bad, he was lying about this memory loss to keep people from asking, and now Jonathan wanted to help him.

"Okay," his mother said, "I guess we should introduce ourselves, shouldn't we? I'm Jeanette Huntley, and I guess you're Bill…" She extended her hand, offering a handshake. Bill extended his and they shook hands.

"Bill Anderson, why I remember is because it is engraved in my watch," explained the longhaired teen.

"I see, but, Jonathan dear, promise me to call when you've reached Pewter, okay?" she said. Jonathan nodded.

"Well, it seems I have to go now, mum," he said as he walked to the door.

"Oh, almost forgot, I'd like to thank you for helping me back there. I really appreciated that," Bill thanked. Jeanette just smiled at that.

Jonathan said goodbye to his mother and they were headed through the door.

"So, your mother seemed a little reluctant to let you journey with me, how come?" asked Bill.

Jonathan shrugged. "It's probably since she's a little overprotective, and she thinks you're in Team Rocket, but that can't be true; since they would've recognized you," he then said.

"Yeah, but let's not think about that, you are on your journey now, WOHOO!" Bill cheered Jonathan up with a scream, and Jonathan screamed back in joy. Their journey had started from now on, though Bill knew that he had another journey to think about but he needed to learn about Pokémon some more before starting. And then they stepped outside Viridian, the huge world of Pokémon waiting…

"What? Hell no! I'm _not_ going through that forest!" Bill shouted, pointing at a familiar forest he could see in a distance.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

Translation

Tja då, och vila upp dig riktigt nu! – Bye then (in slang), and get some nice rest now!

* * *

A/N

Well, that was one whole chapter spent on mainly a shopping scene that ended up in a stick up. But they won't see more of the Team Rocket for a while, heh. And as always, send a review if you want, you don't have to, but I do appreciate it.


	8. The Confrontation in the Forest

**_Chapter 7_**

Disclaimer: You know the deal… I do not own Pokémon…

"Normal Talk"

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic Talk"_

(Translated Pokémon talk that Bill doesn't understand)

"Damn, stop whining, (sigh) everybody, return!" – Jonathan Huntley

* * *

"_**The Confrontation in the Forest"**_

Bill and Jonathan were outside Viridian, they had just left to start their journey. Bill however, didn't want to continue.

"I mean it! You are not getting me through that forest, mark my words!" he said, not wanting to get into that forest again.

"Hey, look Bill, I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was that forest we were going through. But it's the fastest way to Pewter…" he said but was cut off by Bill.

"But that Scyther is probably still waiting to chop my head off! Can't we take a detour around the forest?" countered Bill, still frightened of that insect.

"Hey, Bill, seriously, if that Scyther attacks I'll just call out my Pokémon, all right?" Jonathan ensured.

"No, if you do that, it might call its friends to outnumber us! And if that happens…" Bill shuddered at the thought; he just couldn't get over with that experience, though the encounter with Mewtwo also was scary…

"Maybe you're right… we could get into some deep trouble. But if we keep track on the path we could get through easily, avoiding its territory," the blonde teen said.

"But it might not care if I'm not in its territory, what if it just wants to kill me? I still remember that screech I heard when I escaped, it was probably furious then, and it might have sworn to get revenge on me…"

"But, if we try to avoid their territory as much as possible we might get through. And besides, Scythers are soooo cool! But there haven't been many who have captured them though…" Jonathan said, really wanting to catch a Scyther someday. "You know Bill? Sorry if I'm saying it, but I've always been dreaming about having a Scyther…"

"You have? You little… but wait, didn't you say that there hadn't been many to who had caught them? Why?"

"Well, that's because, yeah they like to fight, but if they're about to lose… they usually call the others before it has been captured, making the other Scythers surround the one who'd tried to catch it…"

"What? How many have they killed?"

"Hey, Bill, relax. They haven't killed anyone, yet, but when they gather around the one who tried to catch it they just do it to scare him/her away. But how could you be so sure that it really wants to kill _you_?" Jonathan asked.

"I really don't know, I just have that feeling… and it must've been the look in its eyes when it…" Bill fell silent, and stared at what seemed nothing. "That's it! It was because I glared into its eyes! It must've thought I was challenging it and _that's_ why it was so pissed off when I got away!" the brown haired teen concluded.

"Dammit, Bill! Let's go through that forest now so it's over with!" Jonathan slowly said, growing irritated.

"But I don't wanna! I am _not_ going through that forest!"

"Yes you are, Bill!"

"Make me," Bill said reluctantly, he really didn't want to go into that forest. Jonathan however, had had it.

"Okay, you asked for it!" he said as he enlarged one of his pokéballs. "Pidgey, GO!" he shouted as he threw it to the ground, making the mainly brown bird appear.

"What are you gonna do? Have it to peck me?" mocked Bill.

"No, not really. Pidgey, show him your Gust attack on him, but don't do it to hard!" he ordered his bird Pokémon, who began to flap its wings, blowing sand and dust at Bill. Bill was knocked to the ground because of the wind, not that fast but he was caught off guard by the attack.

"Damn! Stop it, my eyes! OKAY YOU WIN JUST STOP IT!" he finally yelled, having enough of the sand blowing at him. Jonathan ordered his Pokémon to stop.

"Good… now can we please continue?" Jonathan said, grinning at Bill because he was all sandy. He called his Pidgey back into his pokéball.

"I swear that I will get you back someday… But okay, I will go with you in there, but mark my words: You're not only putting me in danger, you are also putting yourself in danger. Damn, my hair, it will take a couple of showers to get rid of all that sand!" Bill said, wiping the sand off his hair.

"Hey, no one said a trainer's journey is completely free from dangers." They walked towards the forest and as they were close to the entrance Bill hesitated to go in. "Come on, seriously," he started but was cut off.

"No! Not seriously!" Bill argued, breaking a cold sweat, thinking of the nightmare. "Jon, I'm sorry, but I'm just so frickin' scared! You see, I had this nightmare last night, I dreamt that it almost killed me and…"

"You know… if you keep thinking that it might happen, it will. Try to stop thinking about it and look forward to all the fun we might have!" Jonathan cheered Bill up, but he still hesitated to go into the forest. "Dammit Bill! How old are you anyway?"

"I'm sixteen…" he said awkwardly, looking down.

"Okay, so I'm two years younger than you. For crying out loud, Bill, pull yourself together! It's just one run through the forest and we're done!"

"Okay… I'll do it, seeing that this will be the last time I go through that forest. Jon, by the way, have you had an encounter with a Pokémon you still remember? If it hurt you, that is," asked Bill.

"Hmmm, let me see…" Jon rubbed his chin, thinking. "Oh yes, it happened when I was eleven. I was out playing with some friends outside Viridian, and suddenly we were attacked by an Ekans! We never saw it coming so we were pretty scared since there were no adults in the vicinity," Jonathan started.

"Ekans? That's a snake Pokémon, isn't it?" Bill shot in. Jonathan nodded.

"Yeah, it is, how did you know?" Bill chuckled, he hadn't come that far in the encyclopaedia but he figured out a pun in the name.

"How witty… Ekans spelled backwards forms Snake. Ha, ha, ha," he laughed sarcastically.

"Clever, Bill, very. Anyway it glared at us and we were paralyzed of fear. One of my friends, Leon, backed away and prepared to run but then it pounced at him and wrapped it self around him. Leon, of course, began to panic as it began to squeeze. And then I had to do this stupid thing…"

"What did you do?" Bill asked curiously.

"I picked up a small rock and threw it at the Ekans, shouting something like 'Let go of him you oversized snake!'. It let go of Leon and glared at me with its yellow eyes, hissing angrily, I wished so much I hadn't done that as it approached me. When it was close to me it raised itself to my eye level, still glaring at me, I didn't know what it was going to do but my friends screamed to me 'Run, Jon, RUN!', that made the Ekans look at them so I could take my chance and run away," said the blonde teen. He swallowed once before he continued.

"That must've been the second most stupid thing I've ever done. As I tried to run away, I heard it hiss angrily at me and I felt something grab my right leg, and it was painful, when I looked behind me I saw that it had bitten me and it still did." Jonathan explained to Bill, who had listened carefully.

"Jeez, that's gotta hurt!"

"Yeah, it did I tell you. Anyway, as it was biting me, and I was screaming in pain and my friends unable to do anything, I felt something burning in my leg; I figured out that it was venom that trickled into my wound. I panicked and tried to kick it off using my left leg, only making it biting even harder… as I began to lose the feeling in my right leg because of the venom, I also began to lose hope…"

"But how did you survive then?" wondered Bill.

Jonathan sighed. "I was lucky, as you were with that Scyther, a trainer had found us and called his Kadabra…"

"Kadabra?"

"A psychic Pokémon, anyway his Kadabra launched a Psybeam towards the Ekans… and me but I wasn't hit though, only at the verge pissing my pants in fright. The Ekans was taken out in one blow and Leon and I was taken to the PokéCentre for care; I from being poisoned and Leon who still was shaking of fright. That's why I started out a little late as a trainer…"

"Now that's some story there, man, but who was that trainer?"

"I… I really don't know since I was taken to the PokéCentre, and he must've probably been leaving. But Bill, for the sake of Ho-oh, if we're gonna stand around here and talk all day we might not make it through the forest before nightfall!" Jonathan realized that they had been standing in one place talking and he really wanted to do _his_ journey of a trainer and Bill was preventing it.

"Okay then, let's go," Bill said, looking down, clenching his fists, as he said that.

They walked into the forest and kept their eyes on the path so they wouldn't get lost; they knew that if they did, at least one of them would be dead. Jonathan was keeping his eyes open for new Pokémon to catch and Bill kept his eyes open for other movements in the forest.

Suddenly, Bill noticed some rustling in a bush; it couldn't be that Scyther, the bush was too small for that, Jonathan had noticed that Bill had stopped to see what was in the bush. Jonathan stopped him from getting to close.

"Hey, Bill watch out! It could be a fierce one!" Jonathan warned.

"Maybe it's an Ekans?" Bill joked.

"No, they're not _that_ small!" upon saying that, a small, green Pokémon emerged from the bushes, Bill knew exactly what Pokémon it was.

"May I?" he asked. Jonathan nodded, Bill then cleared his throat. "Ahem, this is a Caterpie, the bug Pokémon and it is also known as being the fastest Pokémon to evolve on par with Weedle. It has two attacks which consist of String shot and Tackle. It evolves first to a Metapod and then finally to a Butterfree. Butterfree also is a bug/flying type even though it doesn't have any flying attacks but it gives them a double resistance against fighting types and-" he was cut off by Jonathan who had had enough.

"Okay, okay! Bill, when I said that you should read about Pokémon a little I didn't mean that you needed to become a living Pokédex!"

"Pokédex? I never saw something like that in the encyclopaedia," said Bill, wondering what his friend meant.

"Oh my…" Jonathan sighed and took up a red contraption from his pocket. It resembled a Gameboy to Bill. "This is a Pokédex! It's like a portable encyclopaedia!"

"That little thing? Never, I don't believe that until I see it!" Bill crossed his arms, doubting what Jonathan said, and information about _all_ of the Pokémon in that little thing? Not a chance. Jonathan then aimed the Pokédex at the Caterpie and it beeped.

"_Caterpie the bug Pokémon: It is known to eat more than its weight per day and uses String shot to immobilize its foes, very common in forests,"_ it beeped. Bill was astonished.

'_Now that's high tech!'_ he thought.

"Convinced?" Jonathan asked. Bill nodded in agreement. "Now, before it escapes, do you think I should catch it?"

"Maybe, if you want to see it evolve you should. And it's also good to have some variety in types…"

"Yeah that's good, but as I said a while ago, I really want a Scyther too. Butterfree is a bug/flying type and Scyther's that too," Jonathan concluded.

"But you said you couldn't catch the ones here and…" argued Bill, but Jonathan didn't pay attention

"Damn! It's getting away! It looks pretty weak already so I only need a pokéball," he said as he withdrew an empty pokéball from his belt and threw it at the mainly green Pokémon. The red and white metal object divided into two halves as Caterpie was dissolved in a red light. The ball wiggled a couple of times before stopping.

Jonathan walked towards the ball and picked it up.

"Yay! I got a Caterpie!" he cheered, turning to his friend, who didn't seem impressed at all.

"Excuse me, but Caterpie is a very common Pokémon, so why do you cheer?" he inquired. Jonathan chuckled slightly.

"Well, it's because my mum doesn't like bugs at all, and me having a bug Pokémon would be too much. It was already enough with Rattata," said Jonathan.

"I understand," answered Bill.

"I think I'll let Pidgey out for a while so he can fly freely, and besides, he could snap up some movements too," he then said, releasing his bird Pokémon from his pokéball. It chirped happily because it could fly freely for a while. They began to walk in the forest again, keeping the track of the path. Jonathan was whistling in joy as his Pidgey flew around its trainer and Bill kept his eyes open for sudden movements in the vicinity.

It began to darken, night was closing in, and fortunately they had found a quite open place in the forest. Jonathan had called back his Pidgey and decided that they should camp here for the night, and they took out their sleeping bags from their backpacks and gathered some stones to use them for the fire. As Jonathan had put the stones in a ring Bill had collected some wood.

Proud of their work, they looked at each other. "Now that we have some wood, how do we light it? I don't have a lighter, do you?" Bill asked.

"Uhh, no…" Jonathan answered. Bill sighed and looked down.

"Oh man… how are we going to light the fire now, genius?"

"No worries, Bill, I actually thought of that!" he said as he enlarged one of his pokéballs and threw it to the ground, and the orange puppy Pokémon appeared in front of him, barking happily. "Okay, Growlithe, light up that pile of wood, carefully!" he ordered the dog. The dog looked at his master and nodded, blowing some fire at the pile of wood; however, some of the fire continued past the pile and almost hit Bill.

"Whoa! Take it easy! Man that was close, whew!" Bill said as he stood up, he had to jump away from the fire, preventing to get burned.

"Growlithe, I told you to take it easy!" Jonathan scolded; the Growlithe whined a little because he knew he had done something wrong. "Okay, I understand… it was an accident and it happens to everyone," he assured, petting his Pokémon on his head and he got happy again, wagging his tail.

"Hey, I'm okay, Jon! One question… we will get out of this forest tomorrow, won't we? I hope so," Bill hoped.

"Of course, Bill, of course. I think I should call out my Pokémon so we could chat a little." Jonathan threw out all of his pokéballs and all of his Pokémon appeared, calling out their names. "And I believe some of them are hungry too, heh heh."

He took out some Pokémon food and handed it to his Pokémon, who jumped in joy. Caterpie though, didn't want any food, this worried Jonathan; what if it was depressed or didn't like him.

"Don't worry, Jon, it must've been eating a lot before you caught it and it's probably still full. Isn't it so, Caterpie?" Bill said to it, and it nodded. While they were sitting down chatting and telling stories about the robbery in Viridian, Jonathan's Rattata started sniffing in the air, sensing something, and then she suddenly ran off.

"Hey, Rattata! Where are you going? Come back!" Jonathan ran after his Pokémon, worrying if she would get lost in the night. "Bill, stay here while I get her back, she likes to explore new places," he said, he had to experience this some times. Bill nodded as Jonathan ran off with his Pokémon searching for Rattata.

"Don't run away on me now, Jon, or I will make you pay for it!" he said as Jonathan ran away trying to get Rattata back. Bill sat down, relaxing while he looked at the star formations.

* * *

Not far away from the campsite something had been watching Bill and Jonathan, it had been standing on a branch, fluttering its wings lightly so the branch wouldn't give away if it was too heavy. It recognized one of the humans by the scent it felt not long ago, and it was right. It was that human who had been trespassing in its territory and gotten away with it, with mild consequences, he had also challenged it by looking into its eyes.

The human hadn't been close to its territory during this day but it was still eager to get back at him for how he tricked it last time. And that would mean _death_ to him! When it thought of the five letter word, it brought its blades together with a clashing sound, it sounded a little too much, but it expected that the humans didn't have as good hearing as its own kind.

The other boy was a trainer; it could see that easily, he carried those blasted balls which were used to catch Pokémon. It had also noticed that he had some Pokémon loyal to him, it loathed Pokémon in human service, and it thought that it was pathetic that humans couldn't handle things of their own, letting Pokémon fight in their place.

It then noticed that the human looked at it, had he seen it? It was too dark for him to see it but it couldn't take any chances. The other Scythers were sleeping, and the humans weren't in the territory, not even near it. It couldn't confront him now; he might call his friend to fight in his place. It flew away quickly and silently, hoping that the boy only thought he saw a bird.

* * *

Bill had heard a faint sword like clash from somewhere; he looked around if he could see the source of the faint noise. He feared it was something he didn't want it to be, he froze when he saw something in the woods and it was standing there on a branch, fluttering its wings. First he didn't know what it was but when he could discern the blade like arms he recognized immediately what it was. It was the Scyther that had attacked him that day and now it was out for revenge, he started to shiver in fear, also breaking a cold sweat.

It then flew away, it must've seen him gazing at it, and then he wondered if it would kill him in his sleep, it would be an easy kill for it, just one swipe… dead, done. Bill wondered how long it had watched them; he knew that he hadn't been in its territory, so why was it watching him? Then Jonathan came back with Rattata in his hands.

"Rattata, I know you like to explore new places, but you can't do it in the middle of the night!" he scolded at his Rattata who in return bit him lightly on the arm. "Ow! What did you do that for? Oh, you want something to bite on, don't you?" He asked her, she nodded. "Okay, I will go and find a stick you can chew on," he told her, looking around for a small twig or stick.

He found perfect stick for his Rattata, it was not to thin, yet not too thick. He handed the stick to Rattata who began to chew and gnaw on it. After he had put her down, he looked at Bill, who still was gazing into the woods, sweating. "Bill, what happened to you? You're all sweaty!"

"I saw it… I saw that Scyther over there in the woods… it has found me, it will kill me while I'm sleeping, Jon!" Bill was scared, he knew it was certain it would kill him and he wouldn't dare to fall asleep.

"Bill, are you sure you saw it? It could've been something else…"

"Of course I know it was the Scyther! Which Pokémon in the forest doesn't have scythes instead of arms?" snapped Bill, still sweaty.

"…Okay, if you are so sure it has seen you we should get to sleep right now," Jonathan suggested.

"Why?"

"So we can get up early tomorrow! Scythers need to sleep too you know! I really think it won't try to kill you tonight, I don't think it'll even bother coming here," the blonde teen reassured.

"Well, if you say so… but it's not my fault if you wake up in a bloody mess tomorrow…" Bill got in his sleeping bag, he was tired. And that's because the robbery in Viridian he interfered… and the robbery in the PokéCentre last night. "Good night, Jon, and in case… good bye," he said to his friend.

"Damn, stop whining, (sigh) everybody, return!" Jonathan said as he called his Pokémon back into their balls so they could sleep in there, and then he got in his sleeping bag. "Good night, Bill, Sleep tight."

"Mmmh mmh, mumble…" Bill answered, he was half-sleeping, and soon they were both asleep.

* * *

That night everything was quiet, no sound could be heard except for the wind blowing making the tree's leaves rustle. Then the fearsome mantis Pokémon appeared, advancing slowly, and silently, towards the boys. It knew that it had a free shot on the boy who was sleeping and it would be so easy. When it was about an arm length from the boy it positioned its right scythe at him, almost touching him.

It looked at him, smiling, one swipe and it was done, but then something came up on its mind. Of all dishonourable things, this would be the most to do; killing a human while it sleeps. If the others found that out, it would be rejected from the swarm. But killing him straight off now wouldn't be fun either, it wanted to see the boy scared, pleading for his life and trying to fight it, which would be very amusing to it. Then it thought about that maybe it could scare the boy, but he might not plead for his life… maybe it should attack his friend instead to show that it will do everything to make the boy's life a living hell.

But the other boy would surely call his… what it verified as his 'friends' to fight for him, but that wouldn't pose any problems, since most of that human's Pokémon seemed to be poorly trained. But it still had to be careful, even though it was experienced, so it decided to keep the trainer human from releasing those accursed balls by threatening his friend.

It decided not to kill him, stabbing a sleeping victim is for the weak, it wanted him to see it was _itself_ who killed him. Before it left it made two cuts in the grass on each side the boy was sleeping, silently of course, but it did that to show that it had spared him for the night. As it left, it felt very tired; it had been awake very long and needed to sleep with its friends.

* * *

Morning came, and Bill was the one to wake up first; he got out from his sleeping bag and stretched his whole body.

"Whew, what a night! And I'm still alive, Jon was right about that it wouldn't kill me as I was sleeping…" Bill turned around to pick up his sleeping bag only to see two cuts on the ground; one to the left of his bag, and one to the right. He felt his heart jump a beat as it began to beat faster, he started to breathe heavier as he looked around himself. Jonathan then woke up, seeing that Bill was still alive, and shaking.

"Hey, Bill, what're you shaking for? You're still alive so…" he said but Bill cut him off, pointing at him.

"Shut up! It was here while we were sleeping! See those marks in the grass?" He pointed at the cuts. "That was a sign, Jon; a sign of that it will kill me today," he finished anxiously.

"But why didn't it kill you in the night?" Jonathan wondered.

"That's because it might've not been fun if it did it that way…" Bill looked up in the sky and then into the woods. "Let's go then, after we've packed and tidied after ourselves." They tidied up and packed their backpacks and were ready to leave.

They started to walk through the forest, still keeping their eyes on the path; Bill was keeping an eye after that Scyther.

"So, Jon, how much longer do you think it is to Pewter?" Bill asked, _very_ eager to get out of the forest.

"It shouldn't be too long, yesterday we made through more than half of the forest."

"Thank God…" he said as they walked through the forest, which began to get a little darker. "Jon, are you sure we're still on the path?"

"Of course, Bill! I'm looking on it right now so you don't have to worry about," Jonathan ensured.

Bill suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, Jonathan looked over his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Didn't you notice how quiet it got? Not long ago, the birds chirped, but now it's dead silent!" he said scared.

Aw, come on! Just because it's a little quiet now doesn't mean-" Jonathan never got to finish that sentence, because he was interrupted by a cry from a certain insect Pokémon.

"SCYYTHEER!" A dark green figure leaped down from a tree that was near the path and landed in between Bill and Jonathan and faced Bill, smiling. It knew they were going to pass this tree since it had noticed that they followed the forest path precisely. It was certain to Bill that it _was_ the same one back then since it was as tall as Bill, only a little shorter.

"Oh no… why… why? WHYY!" Bill screamed in fear, this was it, now it had him and he was absolutely sure it wouldn't reason with him this time. It took a step towards Bill, which made him back away in fear into a tree, dropping his backpack next to him. And while he was pinned against the tree it positioned its right scythe towards his throat like a knife.

He still had the feeling he had seen it before, not the day before, but probably two weeks ago. Did he suffer from memory loss after all?

'_So it was true after all,'_ Jonathan thought, stunned the entire time when he saw the mantis Pokémon pin his friend to the tree. He brought up his Pokédex while the Scyther had its attention towards Bill.

"Scyy scythe scy, scyther scy scythe ther," (So we meet again, this is your end, human,) it said as it forced Bill down to a sitting position bringing its scythe down slowly so Bill knew what it ordered him to. When he sat down completely, pressing himself against the tree, he heard the familiar voice of a Pokédex. He and the insect looked at the direction of the voice.

"_Scyther the mantis Pokémon: This predatory Pokémon is considered to be a very dangerous due to its razor sharp scythes and blinding speed. Whether they live in swarms or not, you must approach them with great caution,"_ it informed. Bill looked at Jonathan angrily.

"The first thing you do when your friend is in dire need of help is to check your Pokédex? Thank you!" was the sarcastic remark from the trapped teen. The Scyther turned its attention to Bill directly after he said that.

"SCYTHE!" (SILENCE!) it screeched at him, he flinched at that, since it could've very well swiped him at that moment. He then looked at Jonathan with pleading eyes, silently telling him to help.

"Don't worry, Bill, I'll help," he said, searching through his backpack to find something he cold bribe the mantis with something edible. He finally found some Pokémon food and picked up a handful, hoping that it would be enough to make the Scyther let go of Bill. He saw the mantis eyeing him very suspiciously, wondering what he was about to do.

Jonathan extended his hand where he had the food and walked slowly towards the dark green mantis, "Um, Scyther, eh, would y-you let g-go of my friend, please? I'll give you these, they t-taste pretty good," he offered. It turned around completely, facing him, it had let go of Bill and took one step forward, still eyeing him.

'_Jon, what are you doing? Screw bribery, dammit! It'll never work!'_ he thought, wishing that he could send that telepathically, but, he wasn't a psychic. But if he said that out loud it would turn around and behead him in less than a second.

The Scyther looked at the trainer's hand, seeing the nutritious content he had in it. It then looked at those accursed balls that probably held his 'friends' and then gave him an ice cold stare, narrowing its eyes in anger. Seeing the trainer's now scared look, it swiped at him from a safe distance to show him that it would never accept that offer.

"Whoa!" gasped Jon terrified. He never saw that coming. In pure shock, he jumped backwards and tripped, falling down on the ground. The insect walked up to him and looked down at him, pointing at him with its deadly blade.

"Scy therscy, scythe scyther scy!" (I won't fall for that trick; I'm not as gullible as your race thinks!) it hissed, spitting on the ground close to him. It then quickly turned around to see Bill trying to get up, but as soon he saw it look at him, he froze in fear. It dashed towards him and raised its scythe; Bill covered his eyes and fell down to his sitting position again, not wanting to look.

He didn't know what to do, he was too scared to concentrate, and transforming while Jonathan watched would be stupid, even though he could use a Blackout Blast on him. But the Scyther might get suspicious too, killing him before he could transform fully. But he should've been killed by now, but he wasn't dead yet, he slowly peeked through his fingers only to see the green tinted scythe two or three centimetres from the side of his neck.

'_It's mocking me, as it did last time. _Bill thought, as the Scyther chuckled at the sight. He saw that Jonathan was struck with fear and did not dare to move, he seemed to stare into nothing. Once again raised its weapon in striking position, and then brandishing it towards Bill, who covered his eyes gasping.

It had faked again, and it laughed lightly at Bill because of his cowardly reactions. He took away his hands and looked at the Scyther, which was laughing at him. It turned its head to look at his friend; he still lay there, not moving a muscle. Maybe it was a little too harsh to him. It shrugged, with that one out of the way, its main objective was much easier, to _kill_ that disrespectful, dishonourable, cheating human!

Upon thinking of that four letter word, it brought its blades together, emitting a clashing sound when they impacted. He covered his ears with his hands, but the noise still rang in his ears. The mantis leaned forward, its face close enough to almost touching his. He stared into its eyes, seeing he had no other choice.

'_This is it, and I who was supposed to be some world saving hero! Bah, screw that, I can't even transform! This is like a nightmare, why did this…'_ his thoughts were interrupted by his memory.

'…_Nightmare…"_ his memory told him.

'……_Nightmare……'_ it repeated. Something flashed, he saw himself trapped, and there was no way out.

'_Bad dreams come true sometimes…' _a creepy voice that sounded like his said. Two more flashbacks, but he didn't remember anything he saw that moment.

"Scyther scy scyther? Scyscy, therscy scyther scy," (You thought I'd forget what you did yesterday? Stupid human, only death awaits you now,) it hissed, but Bill wasn't paying attention, he was still thinking.

'_In nightmares… you've seen it… remember,'_ his memory told him. A fourth flashback, this time he saw scythes, but no Jonathan, and he saw the reptilian face with slits for pupils. Then his mind clicked, he had had a dream about this exact situation before he was transported here!

'_That dream! It foretold me what was going to happen! I'm dead, DEAD!'_ He couldn't take anymore, his brain panicked, and he totally lost his mind. He started to scream in panic.

His screams were short, rapid and loud. Pure panic controlled his mind now, and tears trickled down his cheeks. "Lämna mig ifred, din sjuke jävel!" he screamed mindlessly, "Nej, NEJ! FÖRSVINN!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

The Scyther was shocked by the sudden panic the human was thrown into; it took a step back and watched him scream in panic. It then watched the human's fear with a smile, at last he had learned what to fear. But still, it was too late for him to get any mercy, a target is a target.

Jonathan snapped away from his frightened state when Bill started to scream, he thought the Scyther had killed him. He got up and looked over to see if his friend had been killed, he hadn't, but he was still screaming. What threw him into such a panic? Did the Scyther do something?

The mantis grew annoyed its victim's constant screaming, it smacked him on the cheek, making him fall down. But Bill shuffled backwards; one thought was in his mind: _'Get away from the beast'._ It calmly walked up to him, planting its foot on his chest to stop his useless retreat. It smacked him again, and put its scythe near its mouth to tell him to shut up, but he kept screaming. This made the Pokémon worried, the human's scream could warn other humans, and he wouldn't shut up. It had to finish what it had to do; it raised its weapon, preparing to end the screams and the human's life.

Jonathan watched when the insect smacked his friend down, and when it tried to hush him. He knew there wasn't any time left, sooner or later it would kill him, and he had to act fast. He knew that if he did this, it would only enrage the Pokémon even more, but he had no other choice. He picked up an empty pokéball from his belt and hurled it at the Scyther.

The bug Pokémon looked at its victim, he had the look of death in him, and it saw that the human knew very well he was going to die. Killing this human would have its advantages, it would make an example of what happens if anyone trespasses one more time. It stomped once more on the human's stomach, making him lose his air and keeping him silent for a moment. Suddenly, it heard a familiar opening of one of those accursed catching balls and it was enveloped in a red light, sucked into a pokéball.

Bill watched when the mantis was sucked into the ball, solving that problem could've not been so easy. But at that moment he fell silent, it was gone, it would never bother him again. He shot a glance at the red and white ball, it wiggled once, and it burst open, revealing a pissed Scyther. It turned around and faced the human who dared to even try to catch it, Jonathan Huntley.

'_This WAS a stupid idea, now I'll have to battle it. But the colour is a little strange, especially the dark orange parts of its body, this is probably a sign of power. Damn, I'm really in deep shit now,'_ he thought anxiously. He saw the mantis calm down a bit, smiling, turning to his friend.

"Scythe, therer, scyther scy scythe! Scy ther?" (Try running, he dies, and I'll hunt you down next! You got that?) it snarled, making sure Bill understood what it said by using body language. He understood the last two words formed a question, judging by the tone going up slightly. He took a chance and nodded, seeing that it probably wanted a yes. He had stopped screaming, his throat was sore after all screaming and he couldn't emit any loud sounds due to it.

The insect smiled evilly, "Scy, scy. Ther scythe scy," (Good, good. Now don't run away,) it said. It raised its scythe and quickly slice Bill's left leg from the ankle up to the knee. The gash was deep, blood gushed out from it. He didn't scream, he couldn't get any air due to the pain. To top it off, the Scyther ran its weapon alongside the wound, staining it with Bill's blood.

"You leave him alone! What is your problem?" Jonathan shouted at it, he had his pokéball containing Pidgey in his hand. The Scyther turned to him again and glared at him eyes. It lifted its bloodstained scythe, looking at it with a proud, yet evil look. When it finished looking at it, it licked it clean, smacking its lips when it finished. It looked over its shoulder at Bill one more time, licking its fangs, and then turned its attention to the trainer.

Jonathan tightened his grip on the pokéball, when he saw the Scyther licking the blade he was fear stricken. If he lost now, he and Bill would never make it out alive from this forest. Pidgey, Rattata, Growlithe, Bulbasaur and Caterpie were the only ones who could help him now.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

Translations

Lämna mig ifred, din sjuke jävel! – Leave me alone, you sick bastard!

Nej, NEJ! FÖRSVINN! – No, NO! GET LOST!

* * *

A/N

To the ones who read this before: You should've noticed that this chapter got longer so I split it, well, you can expect that the coming chapters will be mixed up a little, but it should stabilize until the end.


	9. A Life on the Line

_**Chapter 8**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, this is a FAN fiction!

A/N

Well, to the ones who has been reading this story before should've noticed that the chapters are about to change a lot here, since I'm trying to make them as short as possible. And I'm pretty sure people will start complaining about the Scyther acting evil. It is not evil, it's just pissed off! You'll see in later chapters.

"Normal Talk"

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic Talk"_

(Translated Pokémon talk that Bill doesn't understand)

"Damn you!" – Jonathan Huntley

* * *

"_**A Life on the Line"**_

Jonathan stood there, facing the feared praying mantis of the Viridian Forest. His friend, Bill, had been threatened by the Pokémon, and judging by the bug's behaviour, he was sure it was going to kill him. By throwing a pokéball at it caused it to turn its attention to him, and it also took it as an invite to a battle.

While the Scyther couldn't say no to a good fight, it had to cautious when it faced a trainer, trainers could have very strong companions with them. But if it turned out to be a loss for it, a quick call of its friends should do the trick.

Jonathan hurled his Pokéball containing Pidgey, and the light brown bird appeared. He saw a slightly disappointing look in the Scyther's eyes, but it got into fighting stance nevertheless.

"Come on, Pidgey, don't let that bug get the better of you!" Jonathan said to his Pokémon, the Scyther simply chuckled scornfully, lowering the bird Pokémon's confidence. "Blow him down with your Gust attack!" he then commanded. When the brown bird started to flap his wings, sending a gust towards the opposing Pokémon, the mantis dropped its fighting stance and stood tall, taking the attack head-on.

It didn't even flinch.

"Uh oh," was Jonathan's remark. He now realised that this Scyther was quite strong, he had to admit, it was a strong and experienced warrior of its nature. He knew it would take more than one Pokémon to defeat this beast of prey.

"Kick some sand in its eyes!" he suggested, ordering a Sand Attack. Pidgey advanced carefully and kicked sand towards the Scyther, hoping to blind it. But the mantis grinned and calmly took at sidestep to the right, dodging the sand. Jonathan then remembered that Scythers were the fastest bug Pokémon in both Kanto and Johto.

"Quick Attack it, now!" he shouted at Pidgey, who flew forward at a tremendous speed towards the mantis, hitting it with his head. The Scyther staggered backwards a little, but it decided to start its offence, no more playing around.

It readied its blades, and started to slash around, cutting the very air. It slashed faster and faster until it suddenly stopped in the exact same pose it had at the beginning of the battle, the blades were glowing faintly white. Jonathan didn't really know what kind of attack that was so he brought up his Pokédex.

"_Swords Dance attack: by performing a high speed exercise with its weapons, the Pokémon's strength increases. The effect wears off after time passes,"_ it informed in its robotic voice.

The dark green mantis dashed forward at a speed faster than Jonathan could see, its weapons raised to strike the bird. Pidgey reacted at the last moment and dodged, watching the weapon that would've killed him if he hadn't moved.

"Pidgey! Watch out, it-" Jonathan never got to finish what he was about to say, directly after the bug Pokémon had missed its target it quickly turned around and charged again. This time it hit perfectly, a deep, red, bleeding cut on its cream coloured underside. "No!" he screamed in shock, but his Pokémon wasn't dead, it was gravely injured though.

He quickly recalled it into its pokéball and brought up the one containing Rattata. She was his fastest Pokémon, and he hoped she could wear down the mantis enough for his next Pokémon. But when he was about to toss the pokéball, Caterpie broke out from its own pokéball, very eager to fight.

"Caterpie! What do you think you're doing? You'll get torn apart!" screamed Jonathan, knowing that his bug Pokémon would be an easy snack for the predatory Pokémon. It turned around and looked at him.

"CATA! Cata cata, cater pie pieca, pic ter cater!" (SHUT UP! Listen here human, if you're taking me away from my home today, I'm going to have a fight today!) it growled. Scyther chuckled at the amusing growl the caterpillar Pokémon emitted.

"Scy scyther scy? Ther scythe therscy scyscy, scythe ther," (Are you going to fight me? You're nothing but a quick meal for me, but if you insist,) it hissed, baring its fangs. Caterpie didn't seem any scared, however.

"Caterpie, you're going to get killed! Get in your pokéball!" Jonathan demanded, but the caterpillar Pokémon shot some sticky substance towards him. "Okay, battle then! But I'll call you back if you're losing!" he then warned it. It then turned to the mantis.

"Ca pie cater! Cata catpie caterpie catapie, PICCATA!" (You're not scaring me! I'll bring you down, you little bitch!) the bug screeched. First, the Scyther chuckled at its opponent's threat, but it got pissed when Caterpie said the last three words. It dashed towards the little bug, preparing to cut it in half.

Caterpie calmly waited, readying its Tackle attack. It waited until the moment it lunged forward, avoiding the blade that swiped directly over it, and hit the mantis's left leg, throwing it off balance. The mantis fell down face first to the ground, caught off guard by the small bug's sudden attack. How could it let itself to be humiliated like this? A mere Caterpie had downed it!

But when it tried to get up, a sticky substance was shot at its folded wings. That was a result of Caterpie's String Shot; the whitish goo wrapped around the wings and kept them folded. The praying mantis jumped to its feet and tried to get the substance off the wings, but that was not an easy task when someone had blades for hands.

Caterpie used that momentum to spray out more of the gooey silk towards the Scyther, who was busy trying to clean its wings. When the substance hit one of the blades, it immediately used its other blade to scrape it off. But since Jonathan's Pokémon continued to spray, the goo hit the other blade too, wrapping them together. The substance began to harden on its wings, and the scythes were kind of glued together due to the sticky silk, this made it even angrier, it tried to separate the scythes from each other but the substance began to harden there too.

"Unbelievable," Jonathan said quietly. He was astonished of what he had seen, he saw the Scyther calm down, taking a few breaths. His newly found Caterpie had defeated it, by using one Tackle and a couple of String Shots.

Caterpie slowly crawled to the Scyther, who was sitting down, looking down in defeat. "Cate, pie erpie! Pie cater, catpie catacata!" (You're weak; I can't believe you killed all of my friends! But now, you've met your match!) the caterpillar Pokémon triumphantly said, turning its back to the mantis and laughed.

It was then Jonathan noticed something frightening. While his Pokémon had its back turned, the Scyther lifted its head up, smiling devilishly. This was only a temporary victory; the dark green bug Pokémon had faked its defeat, Jonathan fumbled with the pokéball where he kept his bug Pokémon in order to recall it. The Scyther hissed as it brought up its deadly weapons and in one quick motion, it pulled the scythes from each other, breaking them free from the hardened silk.

Caterpie turned around quickly when it heard the hiss. It saw the Scyther break free from the hardened silk that had wrapped around its blades without any effort. The next thing it knew was two scythes that clasped around its upper body part, and it was slowly brought closer to the Scyther's face, its mouth slightly open.

"Scyy, scythe scyther ther scy scythe? Scyhthescy ther scyther," (Fool, don't you know that I'm much higher up in the food chain? You can't win with such a weak attack,) it hissed as a line of drool trickled down from its mouth. The smaller bug didn't answer; it couldn't since its air supply was cut off by one of the scythes.

It opened its mouth, preparing to bite and tear off the head of the caterpillar. But just as it brought its jaws together, it only bit air. It looked at its scythes for a moment, wondering where its meal had gone. It remembered the trainer, and stood up. It saw him holding that accursed ball, having used it to recall that slave of his to save it from its fate.

"Caterpie… I don't want you to become an 'easy come, easy go' Pokémon," said Jonathan quietly to the pokéball containing his recently recalled Caterpie. He put the pokéball in his backpack so it couldn't break out, and brought up Rattata's pokéball again. "C'mon Rattata, you can do this!" he said as he hurled the pokéball towards the ground.

The purple rat appeared from the pokéball. She looked around curiously before noticing Scyther, when she did she jumped in fright at the sight of the predatory Pokémon, who was scraping the last of the hardened silk off its scythes. When it finished with the cleaning it looked at the rat, the bitter frown turned into a smile of gleefulness, licking one of its fangs in anticipation.

"Ssscy, scyther scythere scy ther," (Oh well, there's nothing better than a diced Rattata,) it said, giving her a leer that made her back away. Jonathan saw the worried look in his Pokémon's eyes; the Scyther was scaring her, that's all, or what he hoped to the least.

"Don't let it intimidate you! Attack it!" he then ordered his Pokémon, who ran forward to bite the mantis. It dodged with ease, casting a quick glance at the wounded human it would kill after the minor annoyance was dealt with. It kept its gaze at him, it saw him lying down, clutching his bleeding leg. That would keep him from attempting a cowardly escape.

But then the bleeding leg caught its attention again; it was red, the sight of red liquid that oozed out from the wound made it keep the gaze at the human even longer. It imagined how it would kill him, maybe the old fashioned throat slitting? Or maybe a simple decapitation? Nevertheless, the human had wounded its pride challenging it and defeating it, and killing him would heal it to a degree. The human looked at it with great fear now, seeing that it stared at him. But his fear suddenly turned into a smile; did he finally lose his mind?

Its thoughts were interrupted by something that latched on from its behind, next thing it knew, a pair of fangs that dug into its carapace. The fangs broke through the thick armour and sank even deeper in. It had lost the concentration in the battle because of the distraction, and its opponent had landed a Hyper Fang attack on its right shoulder. It tried to shake it off by turning to the left and right repeatedly, but it wouldn't let go.

"Rattata! Don't let go! Try to bite harder!" Jonathan commanded, he had taken advantage of the Scyther's sudden gaze at his friend. Rattata had a firm grip using her fangs, but soon she'd be thrown off from the raging mantis.

Blood trickled down its left side of the body, this rodent put up a nice fight after all. It couldn't reach her, nor could it get her off it. It backed up to a nearby tree and prepared to ram its rear side into the tree, hurting the biting opponent as well. It slammed its rear body into the tree, and between itself and the tree, was the Rattata. But by pressing the purple rat against the tree caused her to dig her fangs deeper into its round shoulder, and its wings served no purpose since they were still covered in that hardened silk substance.

Jonathan saw what the Scyther was doing, or attempted to do, and he knew he had to order a new attack fast. "Rattata, scorch it with you Flame Wheel attack!" he shouted at the distressed rat. Rattata kept her grip firm as she closed her eyes and concentrated, a ring of fire appeared around her body, circling around her at a high speed, and then she jumped off the Scyther and released the ring of fire at the mantis.

The Scyther screeched in pain when the flames surrounded its body and scorched its armour. Fire was one of its weaknesses, and this rat had the ability to summon fire, but now the rat was defenceless. The fire died down, and it checked its wounds, no serious damage, but still that was a powerful attack.

The good thing for it was that it burned away the white stuff on its wings, but the wings had been a little burnt too. It glared at the rat, knowing that she would not stand a chance against it now that she wasn't at its back. It took one step towards her, giving her another sample of the Leer attack, which made her back away.

"Don't let-" Jonathan was about to continue, but when he saw the Scyther charging towards his Pokémon, splitting into two more Scythers. "Oh no, the Double Team attack," he said quietly to himself. "Rattata! Attack it! The left one!" he ordered, but Rattata didn't respond, she was too confused.

The right one was the real, it slammed into her, knocking her down. Jonathan knew she couldn't take anymore beating so he decided to recall her; he picked up his pokéball and aimed the beam toward the downed rat. Then, something unexpected happened.

A green tinted scythe interrupted the red beam that was about to recall Rattata, it was the Scyther. This time it wouldn't let the trainer recall its breakfast right under its muzzle, not this time! It turned to the panting rat, her fate was now sealed since her trainer couldn't recall her now. The trainer attempted yet another futile effort to recall her, but it interrupted the beam without any effort.

"Scyther, scyte scy. Ter scyther scyscy, scythe scy, ther scy!" (Diced Rattata, very delicious these days. And you trainer can't recall you, now you're mine, only mine!) it said gleefully while licking its fangs. It had the rat trapped now, it kicked her over once so she landed on her white underside up. Another red beam travelled swiftly in the air in order to recall her, it was interrupted again by the mantis again.

'_It's preventing me to recall her, what should I do?'_ he thought frantically, then slapping his forehead. _'Of course! How stupid I am, this isn't a trainer battle I could use Growlithe right now,'_ he quickly concluded. He saw the Scyther lift its deadly blade, preparing to slash up his Rattata. He wasted no time grabbing his pokéball containing Growlithe, but it was too late.

The Scyther slashed across the rat's white underside, the gash wasn't serious, but it had opened up a bleeding wound on her. Jonathan gasped at the sight, and hurled the pokéball to the ground. A mainly orange coloured dog with small black stripes on him appeared in front of Jonathan, he also had some cream coloured fur under its mane.

"Tackle it, quickly, before it kills Rattata, Growlithe!" was Jonathan's order. The Scyther quickly turned its head to see that the human had called another minion, this time it got nervous. It knew that this mutt had a type advantage to it, and the dog could hurt its exoskeleton pretty badly if he used a fire attack. It got rammed by the charging Growlithe and was thrown away a couple of metres by the impact. The dog checked if his friend was too injured, to his happiness she was still breathing, he watched his trainer call her back into the pokéball.

The Scyther, however, had landed a little too close to were Bill were lying, it watched with raging hate when its would-have-been breakfast was recalled by its trainer. It turned to look at Bill, the black oval-like shaped pupils stared into his own grey coloured eyes. If looks could kill, two poison tipped daggers would've shot out from its eyes and stab his guts out, letting the poison kill him.

It stood up and growled lightly at him, making him cower a little in fear. It quickly remembered the battle again, the sight of the human distracted it too much, that fiery mutt was barking at it, telling it to stay away from the human. It had to battle more strategically this time due to its weakness. It started to put the mutt down with a leer attack, its eyes glowed slightly red when it leered at the Growlithe.

Growlithe took a step back, feeling insecure. The effect of the Leer attack was getting to him, he felt as the mantis had said that he was weak and worthless, and that it was pure fact. A shower of insecurity was washed over him, why fight when he wasn't going to succeed? The puppy Pokémon whined a little when he saw the bug chuckling at him, crossing its scythes scornfully.

"Growlithe, don't fall for the Leer attack! Fire an Ember at it!" Jonathan ordered, knowing that Growlithe was actually his last chance of beating it since Bulbasaur had a double disadvantage against it. His Pokémon opened his mouth and shot out a ball of fire that sailed towards the Scyther, who simply dodged. "Now take it down!" was Jonathan's second command since he had anticipated that the bug would dodge out of the ember's way.

Growlithe sped towards the Scyther to bring it down with his whole weight. Since the mantis just had hopped out of the way so it wouldn't be hit by the fireball it was now open to the Take Down attack. Growlithe slammed his front paws at the upper part of its body, bringing it down on its back, with himself on it.

The impact made it lose its air for a split second, but it quickly regained it. The Scyther looked calmly into the canine's eyes. "Scythe, scy scythe. Scyscy therscy? Scyther scy scy ther, scy scyther," (Clever, very clever. But why do you still fight? Only a fool fights a lost battle, so give up,) it said lowly to the orange dog. The calmness from his downed opponent scared him, Growlithe quickly placed his front paws on its scythes to prevent it from suddenly swiping him.

"Roar at it to show who's the boss!" ordered the blonde trainer. The fiery canine let out a loud roar right in the face of the Scyther, hoping to scare it. But to Bill's, Jonathan's and Growlithe's horror, the Scyther chuckled at him, it quickly became a laugh, the mantis was laughing despite its position. "Quick, fire off another Ember on it to shut it up!" the blonde shouted in panic.

But the Scyther had other plans. When Growlithe was about to spit out the fire ball at it, it saw its chance and violently pushed him away with his left clawed foot causing the canine to get thrown off it. Growlithe yelped as he landed on his back, he watched the Scyther quickly get up and now it advanced towards him. Wasting no time lying around, he quickly got up.

"Bite it!" Jonathan yelled. Growlithe charged forward in an attempt to bite the mantis. Not wanting that to happen, the mantis charged itself, preparing to counter with a well aimed Slash at him. The two Pokémon quickly closed into each other, but just as Growlithe was about to bite it, it zoomed past him, having quickly made a quick turn.

Growlithe quickly turned around after his miss and snarled, he saw the Scyther standing there calmly crossing its scythes, smiling. He took a step towards it, a stinging pain shot out into its side; he looked at his left side and to his terror saw a delicate yet deep cut that had been made by the scythe. Blood soaked his orange fur on his left side, giving it a more red-orange blend on it. He lay down in pain, admitting a defeat, moving anymore would only cause the bleeding to worsen.

"Growlithe, no!" screamed Jonathan in anxiety, seeing his loyal dog bleeding.

The mantis Pokémon grinned at the sight of its defeated opponent and waited patiently for the mutt's trainer to recall him. It didn't intend to kill this Pokémon, fire Pokémon doesn't taste very good and the risk of burning itself in the mouth is much too high to be worth it. It waited for the trainer's next servant, usually they save the strongest for the end, but the human wasn't sending out another Pokémon. Was the mutt really his last effort?

'_This Scyther was a lot stronger than I thought, Bulbasaur won't be able to beat it, it's too strong and it has a high type advantage over him,'_ Jonathan thought in worry, he saw the Scyther slowly walking to him, a confident smile on its lips. _'Oh no, what to do, what to do?' _he thought frantically as it approached.

It halted its advance, still close enough to swipe him. "Scyscy, scy, scyther scy scythe scytherer," (You lost, human, but it was quite entertaining while it lasted,) it said to him, staring deeply into his frightened blue eyes.

"Eh…" was Jonathan's reply, not sure if it would kill him or not. It lifted its blade, pointing at him, and spoke.

"Scyscythe scy scythe ther. Therscy scy ther…" (But you've already wasted too much of my precious time. Now if you'll excuse me…) it said, turning around looking at its other victim. It pointed its blade at Bill, grinning. "…scy ther scytherscy," (…I've got an insolent human to dispose of,) it finished, starting to slowly walk to Bill.

Bill watched in horror every step it took towards him. Was this it? Would his life end after roughly three days after his stupid journey had begun? As the beast closed in, he closed his eyes, waiting for the beast's killing blow. He rested his head on the ground, hearing every step it took. Clearer and clearer they sounded. But he heard another pair of footsteps hurrying to his direction.

"Hey, Scyther, please don't kill him, just leave us alone! Please!" Jonathan pleaded. It ignored him, and Bill peeked through his fingers to see what was happening, he only met the murderous gaze of the Scyther. Jonathan shoved the mantis lightly from behind. "Damn you! Leave him alone, why do you-" he was interrupted by the Scyther who quickly turned around, swatting the trainer with the flat of its scythe in the progress. Jonathan fell down from the impact, he saw a scythe pointing at him, and in sheer fright he scrambled backwards, knowing that he had to keep his distance.

Satisfied of its accomplishment to scare the trainer away, it turned to the other human, only to see he wasn't there. Well, he wasn't at the exact same place he was before, he was now attempting another feeble retreat by scrambling backwards too. It watched him stand up, mostly putting his weight on his healthy leg. This was it, it poised itself to lunge at him.

Bill had just completed the first step of escape, to stand up. Now defeating it and running away was the remaining objectives, but he knew he'd never accomplish any of those. He'd only be knocked down by it in any second, he saw its eyes fixating on him like the predator does before the kill. It was perfectly still, daring him to move, scream or even look away, if he did, it was the last thing he ever did. The fear inside him made him sweat, and yet he felt so cold, but he didn't move.

It inhaled oxygen through its nostrils, smelling something in the air, it felt the smell of sweat, human sweat. It also felt the terror in the human, it smiled faintly, and the look the human had was the exact same look a prey has before death. They both stood there, completely still, one waiting for the other to move.

'_No, I can't let Bill die, of course I don't know why it's after him in the first place. But if I can sort him out from this he might tell me, if he remembers, that is. But why did he have to anger it during their daytime hunting? Why couldn't it be during their night time hunt? Then they would have been sleeping by now,'_ Jonathan thought, watching the other two stand there.

'_Wait a minute… sleeping? Why didn't I think of that earlier?'_ he then thought, an idea had struck him like lightning. He reached for his last pokéball, even though he knew he'd never defeat it, he could do something else.

Bill still stared into the eyes of the fearsome mantis, the jet black pupils that told him to move so this would be over with. His eyes started to get dry, and it started to burn slightly in them too. He suddenly saw Jonathan getting up, grabbing one of his pokéballs, was he going to catch it or delay it? He'd get killed if he tried to interfere again. However, the next thing he knew, was getting knocked down powerfully by the Scyther, he had done the mistake to look away.

He was on his back, seeing the dark green mantis almost directly above him. A scythe was placed on his chest to keep him down while the other one neared his throat, threatening to slit open his throat. He tried to push away the other scythe, but it just waved off his hand. Its tri clawed, reptilian feet were both on his shins, preventing him to kick it if he tried, and one of them had slightly scratched up the already hardened scab on his leg.

It opened its mouth slightly, letting a low chuckle emit from it. A hideous reek also wafted out from the open mouth, making Bill cough at the sudden stench. Slightly aggravated by that, he lifted his left hand to lightly slam it shut. He did succeed on that, though, it was caught off guard by that movement. But, that only irritated it more, it snarled slightly at him, making him drop his left hand quickly to the ground.

It then screeched shortly at him, lifting its blade to strike him. He waited for the end, not bad for a death, quick and easy. He closed his eyes and waited, all this because of a five minute stare two days ago, five, frickin' minutes of staring into those eyes!

A green vine wrapped around its neck, pulling it backwards. It was forced to raise itself to its knees, and it turned around to see what had dared to challenge it this time. It was that stupid human who had called another servant, a green coloured squat lizard with a bulb was the responsible one for attempting to choke it, bad mistake.

"Quick, Bulbasaur, send out some Sleep Powder!" Jonathan ordered. He had sent out his plant Pokémon, Bulbasaur, silently so he could surprise the mantis, and then putting it to sleep so Bill and he could escape. Bulbasaur released a cloud of pinkish spores that sailed towards the trapped Scyther, as soon as it inhaled it, it would fall asleep.

It would never allow itself to be defeated that way! It tried to cut off the vine around its neck but that little Pokémon only waved them away from it, still holding a firm grip, facing the cloud of incoming spores that would put it to sleep. It then got another idea, fluttering its wings would surely push those spores away from it; it spread out its wings, starting to beat them.

But someone was holding its wings, preventing it to flutter them. It furiously turned its head, looking over its shoulder, it saw that human it was about to kill holding its wings firmly in his hands. It tried to swiped him but the angle it was in prevented it from doing so, stupid Bulbasaur. When it turned its attention back to the little lizard it accidentally inhaled the spores, feeling drowsy. As a last ditch attempt to get free, it twisted around violently, ignoring the pain and the risk of breaking its own neck it could cause.

But to its luck, it had an open shot on the vine that held its neck. It promptly sliced off the green vine and shook off the remaining vines around its neck, it was now free but still affected by the spores. It drowsily walked over to Bill and looked at him, it fell down on one knee when it placed its scythe on his chest. The other scythe closed into his neck and was about to slit it open, but its vision began to blur, and it knew it would fall asleep any second.

The scythe that was about to kill him was removed from its position as it tried to get up, but it was too late. It fell asleep right on top of Bill, its head resting on his cheek. This was _not_ what Jonathan had planned, he wanted it to fall asleep, yes, but he didn't want it to fall asleep on his friend. He saw his friend looking at him, if he moved he would wake the bug up, and that would result in a quick ending for Bill.

'_Nice going, Jon! What are we gonna do now?'_ Bill mentally thought to his friend. He was pinned down by a sleeping Scyther, great, just so frickin' great! And to make it worse, the Scyther was sleeping with its mouth slightly open, letting a thin line of drool make its way down to Bill's face. _'Eww, of all Scythers out there I had to get one who drool while sleeping, my dumb luck!'_ he thought as he carefully wiped off some of the saliva from his cheek.

"Bill, be still, don't move," whispered Jonathan, advancing very slowly. "If you wake it up-"

"I know what'll happen, try to lift it off or something," he said, only to be hushed by Jonathan. The Scyther mumbled something while it slept, and moved around its head a little. Both Bill and Jonathan went stiff by that, they were scared out of their minds if it had awakened.

"Well, I could paralyze it but…" Jonathan paused for a while.

"But what?" Bill asked, a little too loud again. The Scyther moaned slightly and lifted its head, turning it to the other side and kept sleeping. Bill sighed lightly in relief.

"Keep it down!" Jonathan hissed, "I don't think I can have Bulbasaur paralyze it since it might affect you too, and Stun spores affects humans more than Pokémon, you could die," he then stated. Bulbasaur waddled forward to Bill, recognizing him, and he didn't like it.

"Bulba, bul saur bulba!" (Oh no, I'm not saving you of all people!) he said, reluctant on doing what his trainer told him to.

"Bulbasaur, if that Scyther wakes up, he's dead. Just because you're not friends now doesn't mean you're letting him die? Now try to lift it off!" he ordered, but the plant Pokémon just sat there.

"Bul ba!" (No way!) he replied angrily, glaring at the trapped teenager.

"Behave yourself! Now you do as I tell you or I'll… I'll…" Jonathan was getting annoyed by his Pokémon disobeying him just because he didn't like Bill.

"Bu ba saur?" (You'll do what?) he asked smugly, still looking at Bill. Jonathan uttered something that sounded like a grumble.

"It's back to the pokéball for you if you don't do what I say! Just try to lift it off!" he lightly shouted. In two ways this was stupid. Firstly, all of his other Pokémon were badly injured, and secondly he said it a little too loud, the Scyther started to move again. It yawned lightly as it raised its head.

"Mmm, scy scyther, mrrmr." (Mumble, stupid human, mumble) its eyes were still closed, and it craned its neck before opening its mouth and closing it several times, emitting a repulsive smacking sound before resting its head on Bill's once again. Another false alarm, Bill's breathing had stopped temporarily during those moments. He didn't know how long the Sleep Powder would work, and the effect could very well be wearing off soon.

Luck was on his side this time, the Scyther had in its sleep decided to turn over to its back, rolling over to the left side of Bill's body, ending up lying on the ground. Bill felt so relieved, he saw Jonathan approach, extending a hand.

"Bul, babulb saur bulbas!" (See, it got sorted out after all!) commented the plant Pokémon, still glaring at Bill. Jonathan ignored that comment and was very close to reaching Bill's hand when…

SNAP!

Bill's smile quickly faded into an expression of shock and anguish, _'No…'_ he thought, the sudden snap from the twig Jonathan had stepped on made a loud sound that seemed to last forever. Jonathan froze in his position, his hand just a centimetre from Bill's, he was also startled by the sudden sound. A tear trickled down Bill's cheek, he was so close, and yet he was a mile away from his freedom, but had the Scyther woken up?

He lifted himself slightly from the ground to grab Jonathan's hand, but just as he did that, the blonde teen's eyes widened. Jonathan jumped backwards with a short scream, scrambling backwards and away from Bill. This reminded him of a missed train with all his friends on, and he didn't know where he was. But one thing was sure, the Scyther… had awakened.

Before he even blinked, the Scyther had one of its scythes around his neck, and he was forced down to the ground right next to it. He glanced at the Scyther and gulped, which caused it to hurt his Adam's apple a little, tears began to stream down his cheeks. He felt the hot, damp breath down his neck, the Scyther had noticed him crying and found it amusing, it chuckled yet again.

"Bulbasaur, get it!" Jonathan ordered, having gotten to his feet when he was at a safe distance. Bulbasaur was still reluctant, he didn't like Bill, he felt there was something strange within him.

The Scyther looked at the plant Pokémon curiously. "Scy ther scy? Scyther scy therscy scythe," (Won't you help him? Fulfil your duty as a slave for your human friend,) it hissed, waiting for an answer. "Scy scythe scy?" (You don't like him either, do you?) Bulbasaur nodded.

Jonathan and Bill followed the conversation, but never quite understood it. Jonathan had known his Bulbasaur for more than a year so he was pretty sure of what it was saying: He would _aid_ the Scyther in killing Bill by not doing anything to prevent it.

"Don't you dare, Bulbasaur! Don't you even think of it!" warned Jonathan, but Bulbasaur wasn't listening. He was still looking at the Scyther who still had its scythe around Bill's neck.

"Scy, scy, scyther scythe therscy ther. Ther scyther scythe scy," (I'm terribly sorry, but even if you help me killing this pest I must still kill your trainer. I can't allow any human witness this, you can't do anything about it,) it finished. Bulbasaur looked at it with disbelief, yeah, sure, he didn't like Bill, but if this psycho mantis was about to kill his would-be lifelong friend Jonathan, it was gravely mistaken.

"Bulba bulba! SAUR! Basaur, bulba bulbsaur, buuulbaa!" (Don't drag him into this! I WARN YOU! If you want him, you'll have to get through me first, here and now!) he growled as he let out another loud growl, starting to glow white. The Scyther loosened its threatening grip in surprise when it saw what its opposing opponent was doing.

Bulbasaur was evolving.

The plant Pokémon's bulb began to sprout a little, revealing a rose red bud on its back. Around it was four leaves, and his body turned to a more turquoise colour. When he was done evolving he had grown up a little, he was slightly larger than before but not that much. Two small fangs, not as big as Scyther's, could be seen in his upper jaw.

'_Wow, he sure looks meaner now,'_ thought Bill, still trembling in fright due to the fright of having a scythe to his neck and that the beast could slit it open any second. He carefully tried to push the blade farther away from his throat but stopped doing so when he heard a snarl.

"You, you evolved!" Jonathan remarked, "You evolved into an Ivysaur, finally!"

Ivysaur didn't listen to his trainer, he quickly extended his vines and whipped the Scyther right across the face, and then grabbed its neck again, this time lifting it up. Directly after it had been lifted up, the plant Pokémon threw it over to the ground, a distance away from Bill.

The Scyther, however, didn't want to go down that easily, it would never give up on its prey. After all, it was resistant to that squatty lizard. It quickly scrambled to its feet, ready to fight. But it saw the human being threatened by the Ivysaur, which infuriated it even more; this human belonged to the Scyther!

"SCYYTHEE!" (HE'S MINE!) it screeched, making the Ivysaur turn his attention to it. Ivysaur saw the mantis sharpen its blades, it was ready to fight, and it wouldn't hold back just because they both disliked Bill.

"Ivy, saur!" (Bring it, Birdie!) he beckoned, sounding a little more mature than he did as a Bulbasaur. The mantis charged at lightning speed toward him, one of its scythes raised to deliver a fatal blow. Ivysaur extended both of his vines to ensnare the mantis, but Scyther anticipated that. It jumped up, which made Ivysaur miss, doing one front flip and brought its both reptilian feet down at the plant Pokémon, pinning him down to the ground.

"Ivysaur, try to get it off you!" Jonathan shouted, he was worried if his Pokémon still fought independently, Ivysaur/Bulbasaur used to do that, and he often fought better then. But when fighting trainer battles, he had to give him orders. His Ivysaur couldn't move a muscle with the Scyther standing on top of it, he gasped heavily for air, and the dark green mantis bent down.

"Scy scyther scy, hmm?" (What was that again, hmm?) it sneered, looking at the face of the resisting opponent. "(Scy, scyther scythe scyscy, ther. Therscy scy ther scyther scythe," (Well, another one licks the ground, pathetic. But Ivysaurs does have plenty of nutritious contents inside that flower,) it stated menacingly, forcing the petals open with its scythe, taking a closer look.

Ivysaur saw his chance, he mustered the last of his strength and unleashed a cloud of brownish spores that quickly sailed into the Scyther's mouth. It coughed violently when it had inhaled the Stun Spores, enraged by that, it kicked the plant Pokémon hard and went for Bill.

It had inhaled too much of those spores, soon enough, it would be completely paralyzed. Its movements were completely different, its speed had decreased dramatically and it suddenly fell to the ground. It used all of its remaining strength to get up, but remained on its knees, its feet had turned numb, it couldn't stand up. It coughed again, much weaker this time, and it glared at Bill one last time before falling down to the ground, completely paralyzed.

Jonathan had recalled his beaten Pokémon and carefully made his way towards the fallen Scyther. To make sure it wasn't dead he touched its neck, checking the pulse, it was still alive. Its eyes shot open, glaring at the trainer, Jonathan's heart skipped a beat, but when he saw that one of the scythes barely was lifted, he calmed down. The green bug slowly, yet twitchingly, closed its eyes.

"It's over, at last," Bill whispered, not believing it fell for one simple attack. It could still be faking. He slowly got up, shifting most of his weight on his healthy leg. He limped over to Jonathan, casting one glance at the Scyther.

"Ha, verkar som du förlorade," he started, he saw the scythe lightly shake, but he now knew it would do no more harm. "Din lilla mes." He turned around, smirking as he approached his friend.

A sharp pain suddenly jolted up in his thigh, and a sharp object slowly dug into it. No scream was heard, only an open mouth and a look of pain. He slowly looked over his shoulder, seeing the Scyther having made its last move, stabbing him. It then fainted, having used the very last of its power.

With the scythe still stuck in his leg, he slowly got down on one knee. Jonathan rushed to him and looked in terror. "Bill, you stupid prick! Why can't you ever shut up? And what did you say anyway?" he asked angrily.

"J-just get that out of m-my leg!" Bill demanded, his leg starting to shake in pain. Jonathan walked over to the scythe, feeling nauseous of the sight. He carefully pulled it out, noticing the other scythe twitching, he got it out completely, and blood gushed out from Bill's rear thigh. Jonathan quickly dug into his backpack searching for any kind of bandages, finding some, he wrapped up the thigh, but it wasn't a good result however.

"I hope this helps for a while. We better get out of this forest as soon as possible, I don't know how long the paralysis lasts," suggested Jonathan, grabbing his backpack and attached it on his back. He then took Bill's and walked up to him. "Do you think you could carry it until we get to Pewter?"

"Hell yeah, dammit! I'm not gonna leave it here!" he growled, standing up, shaking, and flung on his backpack.

They both continued to proceed through the forest, having soon made their way out of it. But the wound Jonathan had tended had started to bleed again, and they weren't sure if Bill was going to make it…

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

Translation:

Ha, verkar som du förlorade. – Ha, seems like you lost.

Din lilla fegis. – You little coward.

* * *

A/N

So, this was probably the most intense chapters in this story so far, but I might have exaggerated it though, but I hoped you liked it!


	10. Pre Gym Battle in Pewter

_**Chapter 9**_

Well, uhm, hi. I haven't got anything to say so let's get on with the new chapter. Oh, and I hope that freakin huge dialogue glossary list isn't too confusing. Not too much was changed here.

"Normal Talk"

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic Talk"_

(Translated Pokémon talk that Bill doesn't understand)

Again, I hope it's not confusing! Thank you.

"A once in a lifetime opportunity and I wasted it!" – Jonathan Huntley

* * *

"**Pre-Gym Battle in Pewter"**

Jonathan and Bill emerged from the forest and were heading towards Pewter City, Bill's wound in his leg had stopped bleeding a little, even though the bandages had gone loose some minutes ago. Jonathan held Bill's arm over his shoulder, supporting Bill while they were walking.

"Damn, it hurts like hell! I… I don't think I'm going to make it, Jon," Bill groaned, fighting the pain in his leg.

"C'mon, Bill, keep fighting! It's not far now, just hold out a little longer!"

"Okay, let's see how you feel… when you get stabbed… through your leg! Damn, I hope my wound hasn't… been infected. Stupid Scyther, one day… I'll kill that sucker!" he growled.

"No, no, no. Don't even think of planning any revenge now, Scythers are strong warriors, you'd only get killed," said Jonathan.

"Yeah, what…ever," Bill snapped, "I'm done for anyway," he whined.

"Don't worry, I can see it from here, I know where the PokéCentre is located there!" Jonathan pointed towards Pewter City, which was located a distance away. Bill's leg suddenly gave away from the pain; Jonathan couldn't hold him up so Bill fell down on the ground.

"No… I can't… continue, Jon, the pain… it hurts… too much for me to handle," he managed to wheeze out, fearing that his Pokémon powers would expose him. He clutched his leg and gritted his teeth.

"Bill, please. Don't give up on me now! If you managed to get this far you could make it just a little more! Come on! I saved you back there in the forest!"

"Yeah… I know that… but you also caused it… to stab me. Of course it did that… only to… make sure I… didn't run away… while you… were battling it," Bill said as he was struggling to breathe normally.

"Bill, you can't give up, as you said to me: if you were to give up, the Scyther would have gotten you the first time!" Jonathan tried to get Bill back to his feet.

"Yeah, but then… it hadn't… stabbed me! I only had some… cuts here," he groaned as Jon had gotten him back to his feet, continuing to proceed towards Pewter.

"You're suffering from blood loss again this time, I think, and you'll faint very soon if you don't get there in time, let's go!" Jon dragged Bill to Pewter while Bill tried to walk, he had lost a great deal of blood, and suffering blood loss twice in three days might have been too much for him.

"Jon, I… I think I'm going to… throw up… right NOW!" Bill screamed as he suddenly tore loose of his friend's grip, turning around, throwing up. A red-greenish liquid came out from his mouth and he felt sore in his throat because of the gastric juice which had exited through his mouth. Jonathan began to feel nauseous when he saw Bill throw up. "I don't remember… eating that. It could… be the cucumber… or the lettuce… mixed with blood or tomatoes…"

"Ugh! Bill, please, I'm getting' sick too! Damn!" he complained as he looked away, disgusted, holding his nose. "Ready yet?"

"Yeah…" They continued to walk towards Pewter, Bill didn't know if he would make it; the pain kept getting worse and he felt dizzy. When they finally arrived to Pewter Jonathan sighed in relief, at last!

"Bill, we're here now! Let's find the PokéCentre so you can… Bill? BILL? What happened? WAKE UP!" While Jonathan talked before, Bill had suddenly fainted of blood loss, he didn't respond and Jonathan was getting worried a lot. "Come on! DON'T DIE ON ME NOW, BILL!" People began to gather where Jonathan were standing, they had noticed the blood trail from the entrance of the city which led to the boy who lay down on the ground.

"Don't just stand there like some bunch of schmucks! Please help me get him to the PokéCentre! Quick!" he shouted, astonished by the people's inactivity. Some of them however, ran up to him and picked Bill up and took him to the PokéCentre. Jonathan ran along them to make sure Bill was okay, when they arrived to the centre the nurse got a shock seeing the boy who was totally out cold.

"What have you done with him?" She asked, still shocked. The ones who held Bill put him down on a stretcher as a pair of Chanseys came and ran away with it. They then pointed at Jonathan, who felt a little exposed.

"Hey, don't ask us, ask him!" one of them protested.

"Erhm, it's a long story, nurse, can we talk about it later, when it's emptier?" he requested, he turned around to the ones who'd helped him. "Thanks, guys, I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't…"

"No sweat, dude! Since the Scythers formed their territory, there have been a lot of these cases!" one of them said as he, and the others walked out. "Later, dude!" he said as he exited the building.

"Thank you very much!" Jonathan thanked them again, he then turned to the nurse, who had the same pink hair and looks as the one in Viridian.

"So what happened to him?" she asked, wanting to know what had happened to Bill.

"Well, as we walked in the forest, we were attacked by a Scyther. No, we weren't in its territory, we weren't even close! It was after him… it wanted to kill him," he almost spluttered out.

"That can't be true! I've heard that the Scythers have been rough against trainer's Pokémon but…humans?" the nurse couldn't believe what Jonathan said, the Scythers were territorial, that's right, but they wouldn't try to kill a human. Most of the cases have been that all of the trainer's Pokémon have been injured or that they had been scared away!

"But it is true! How else can you explain a wound like that in his leg? It frickin' _stabbed _him, without any hesitation!"

"But what did you do when it happened? Did you just stand there watching it?"

"No, it stabbed him almost directly after I had paralyzed it with the help of my Pokémon!" he argued.

"Well then, as I see it, you have been walking around and suddenly this Scyther appeared, trying to kill this friend of yours?" she stated, still suspicious of what had happened.

"Actually, Bill and the Scyther have had problems before and it wanted revenge on him!"

"Bill?" the nurse asked. "Is that his name?"

"Yes it is! Please, can you help him? I think it's just blood loss, it could be an infection too," he pleaded. After all, he _was_ responsible of Bill's current condition.

"We'll see what we can do!" she assured.

"Thank you, nurse, could you heal my Pokémon too? They were pretty beat up during the battle!" Jonathan said as he handed over his pokéballs and sat down on the bench. _'Man, I really saved him today! The Scythers haven't killed any humans, but this one was… no, that's not possible, I got to ask Bill after he gets out of here, what was his problem anyway, teasing the Scyther like that?'_ he thought, waiting to get some information about Bill's condition. After a while he knew that it wasn't worth waiting here all day! Bill had to be in care for days, or even weeks before he can walk again after a cut like_ that_.

He walked outside the PokéCentre to get some fresh air only to meet a female police officer with blue hair looking at him sternly. The Officer Jenny in Pewter, great.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't a trainer we have here? How come you're involved in this crime?" she asked in her usual interrogative tone.

"Uh… what crime, officer?" he asked, he hadn't committed any crime, or was this cop a little over suspicious?

"A boy has recently been assaulted and you seem to be highly suspected for it."

This threw Jonathan into a fit. "Heyheyhey! He's my friend! Why do you think I would do such a thing to him? If it wasn't for me, Bill would be dead by now!" he protested.

"Bill? Are you talking about Bill Anderson?" she asked him, wanting to know if this was the boy she'd been warned of.

"Yes, I think it is," he answered, still curious about whom Bill really was.

"So, my sister got to know about his encounter with Scyther from dr. Greenwood, he should've been aware not to go back, but yet he did," she mumbled to herself.

"Is there a problem, officer?" inquired Jonathan.

"I think so… he might be the one who partly stopped two crimes in Viridian and-"

"Two? One of them was a robbery attempt in the PokéMart but which was the other one?" interjected Jonathan.

"It was a robbery attempt in the PokéCentre, now there must be a connection with these two crimes… you can go now, boy, I need to do some thinking."

'_Man, Bill's really in for it now, but he didn't tell me about the robbery in the PokéCentre… gotta ask him when he's cured,' _he thought, walking around Pewter, exploring it. Eventually, he found the gym.

'_Hmm, it might be rude to have my first gym battle without Bill, but what the heck!'_ he thought as he walked in, when he entered the gym he noticed that it was all rocky, it was a rock gym after all. As he walked inside the building, watching some newbie trainers train their Pokémon, mostly rock, a boy came up to him, he was younger than him, he could tell that by his length and looks.

"Do you wish to fight the gym leader, Greg?" He asked, his voice sounding like a typical 10/11 year old, looking at Jonathan eager to battle.

"Yes, I do, do I have to fight you first?" he inquired.

"Of course! Greg doesn't have time with any rookies! Shall we?"

"You're on! Ivysaur, GOoo… ops," Jonathan reached for his ball only to find himself grabbing nothing, he had forgotten that his Pokémon were at the PokéCentre.

The other trainer scoffed at him. "Pathetic… you challenge me, yet you don't have any Pokémon?"

"Err… I… erhm, forgot that my Pokémon were at the PokéCentre… hehe, bye!" he said as he ran out of the building, feeling very embarrassed. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid me! How could I be so rash? What? Is it closing in to night already? Gotta hurry back to the PokéCentre.'_ He ran back to the centre to ask if he could sleep there, of course he knew that he could, but it was always important to be polite. When he arrived to the centre he asked the nurse if he could sleep there overnight.

"But of course you can!" she said, smiling happily as usual.

"Thanks, nurse! And by the way, how's Bill's condition?"

"He's recovering, however he has been recovering unusually fast, almost inhumanly fast…it's like someone is healing him. I think he'll be able to walk tomorrow already, surprisingly, with a wound like that."

"I see… well, thanks for the information, nurse, I'm going to bed now!" He walked to his room and entered it, it was the usual rooms in PokéCentres, small, and yet so nice. He dressed to his PJ's and jumped into the bed, falling a sleep immediately.

In Bill's room everything was quiet, he had regained consciousness and he was awake, he was happy that he had survived and he lay in the bed thinking. _'Man, am I lucky that I survived! I really owe one to Jon now… some chosen one I am… almost getting killed like that… what am I thinking? When I'm out of here I will go and teach that Scyther a lesson! I have to do it in the night when everyone sleeps, so I can transform without anyone seeing it,' _he planned.

When he thought of transforming, he realized that he had recovered _way_ to fast from that wound; this could raise suspicion around Pewter. _'Oh, man, my Pokémon powers must've been awakened while I was out cold… dammit! How will I explain this?'_ He began to feel tired because of all the pain he endured earlier this day and he slowly drifted into sleep.

_He had been running away from it too long and he was exhausted, he knew that there was no escape anyway; the way he came from had been sealed somehow. Why did he enter the canyons in the first place? It was restricted area, it was dangerous they said, but he had entered it anyway without being seen. The beast he was running from was stronger than he was, he had been fighting it using his powers but he had gotten tired because of previous battles._

_He ran into a dead end, he was trapped; well, he knew he was going to die anyway since there was no exit from here. He looked at the beast, it was a flying type and grey coloured but it was hard to see what it really was because of the dark, it landed a short distance away from him. His body was shaking in fear, what would this beast do to him? E... eat him? _

_He just couldn't accept that, he let out another Flamethrower towards the beast, who barely flinched by the attack. It laughed a high pitched laugh at his worthless effort to stop it, he saw in its eyes that it had had enough 'playing around' with him, he slowly sat down on the rock surface still looking at it. It then licked its lips on its long beak-like mouth, preparing to devour him any second now, it had been a long time since it had been eating human flesh, and this one seemed special._

_He looked at it in horror when it had licked its lips; he had noticed that this birdlike beast, unlike other birds, had teeth. It had saw-shaped teeth! He closed his eyes, he couldn't look at it anymore, he was too scared. He curled into a little ball and waited for it to do it; the last thing he heard was a loud, high pitched screech…_

"AAaaah!" he screamed as he woke up. It was just a nightmare… again. However, some Chanseys had been there while he'd had the nightmare, they were very startled when he shot up from his sleep like that. He had been sweating in the bed so much so it was almost wet, yet it wasn't that warm in there. The nurse had been there too, one of the Chanseys had been worried when it saw Bill squirming and whining in the bed, thinking that he must be suffering of something. Fortunately it was 'just' a nightmare.

"Are you alright?" she asked, worried.

"Yeah… I'm okay; it was just a nightmare so... What? You again?" Bill was surprised that the nurse he was looking at was the same one was here. "How did you get here so fast?" He couldn't believe that it was the same nurse he had seen in Viridian.

"Me again? I don't understand… Ah! You've met my sister in Viridian, haven't you?" she said, not knowing that Bill hadn't a clue about what she had said.

"So you're… twins?" he asked.

The nurse shook her head. "No, she's older than me, how are you feeling by the way?"

"I'm feeling great! Apart from the nightmare I feel recovered!" he said, more calmly, he had gotten over the nightmare. _'But then, it felt so real. Is that my destiny, to end up _eaten_? I've had this one at home too, just because the Scyther dream was coincidental doesn't mean this will be too, or?'_ he thought, still the nightmare was in his head.

"What are you thinking about?" the nurse inquired, she noticed that Bill stared into nothing for a while. He snapped out from his daydream, coming back to reality.

"What? Nothing! When can I leave? I feel like I'm bursting with energy!" Bill was very eager to get out; it was easily heard on the pace of his voice. He wondered where Jonathan was, and if he was lucky the gym in this city wouldn't be closed.

"I really recommend that you should sleep some more, young man, your wound has probably not…" she said to him but she stopped when she turned to look at the wound, it had almost healed completely, and the minor wounds he had on the chest were completely gone!

"Something's wrong, nurse?" Bill asked, noticing that she was staring at his now healed wounds.

"I really don't know… it's just that you have recovered very fast… if not a little too fast."

"Uhh, I think that's because my friend gave me a potion, I think," he made up. But the nurse eyed him suspiciously.

"But potions usually don't affect humans very much, but I think I need to do some tests to see if you're of lightly affected group," she said, walking away to fetch a syringe.

"Tests?" Bill asked suspiciously, shaking a little, "a-a-and what d-do you m-mean with t-tests, nurse?" He was afraid of getting exposed of what he really was. And it would make him feel very bad for Blackout Blasting a nurse who'd helped him.

"No, not that kind of tests! It's more like a medicinal test to see if you're a part-Pokémon or not." This made Bill's heart jump.

'_Man, why do everything go to hell? I really don't want to be known as a Pokémon and be caught,'_ he thought frantically. "Why would that be necessary? Are there a lot of part-Pokémon here in Kanto?" he said trying not to sound suspicious.

"No, there aren't, but there have been sightings of a female Pokémon who's not registered in any Pokédex in both Kanto and Johto," she informed.

'_Could it be her? It had to be her,'_ he thought. "So, how many have seen her? And how do they know it's a female?" He asked, trying not to sound too curious.

"Well, she looks like a human girl so that must be one of the reasons they think it's female and… hey, wait a minute! This is top secret information I'm just revealing!" she exclaimed stupidly, then she gave him a stern look for his curiosity.

"Ops, sorry for being curious, I didn't mean to be. Anyway, no one knows where she is and I don't know what she looks like so that was pretty useless information to me anyway…"

"Yes, if you just keep quiet about this no one will notice. Oh, I almost forgot! Can I have a sample of blood from you?" she requested.

'_Okay, I really hope my blood won't reveal me, I'm in human status, so I hope the odds are with me. I better not decline, it will raise suspicion,'_ he thought. "Yes, that's okay, I don't mind. But when I was taken here, I did suffer from blood loss, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, but we only knew what type of blood you had. I am going to use the sample to do another test. Can I begin now?"

"Yeah, but don't take too much."

"Don't worry; your blood flow has already been stabilized," she said as she took her syringe and stung it into his arm, extracting some blood from it.

"Nurse, what time is it?" he asked through the temporary stinging.

"It's about 11:40 am, why do you ask?"

"Oh man… my friend is probably waiting for me outside. Please, nurse can I leave now? He has this gym battle and I promised him to be there and watch."

"I really don't know if…"

"Please? Pretty please? I'm totally recovered as you can see."

"If you insist, but you're taking your own risks."

"Oh yeah!" he shouted as he jumped up from the bed, standing up and stretching out. Then he felt dizzy and sat down on the bed. "Blood rush… I hate it! Don't worry," he assured as he stood up again. "So where are my clothes? These aren't mine!"

"Oh, they're in the wardrobe, and they're washed too."

"Why, thank you very much, nurse!" he said as he got his clothes from the wardrobe looking for a room to change.

"You can change over there, in that room," she said, still holding and examining the syringe containing his sample of blood.

"Thanks again, nurse!" he said as he entered the changing room. He couldn't get that nightmare out of his head while he was changing clothes_. 'What if that dream comes true? Bah, get it together, birds with teeth don't exist!'_ he thought, but shudder at another fact. _'But then, yet there exist fire breathing dogs, huge insects with blades, telepathetic, uh, telepathic cats. So why shouldn't there exist huge ancient birds with teeth?'_ When he had dressed he thought about his equipment, where were they stashed? "Uhm, excuse me, nurse, but do you know where my stuff is?"

"I think the boy who brought you here must have them…" She told him, putting the syringe in a little plastic bag.

"Thanks for everything then!" He thanked as he walked out of the ward, hoping that Jonathan was somewhere in the PokéCentre, when he came to the lobby he saw Jonathan waiting, some of his Pokémon where sitting with him, not noticing that he was there. "Jon!" he greeted cheerfully! Jonathan jerked his heads upwards, looking at his friend. All of his Pokémon, except for Ivysaur and Caterpie who were talking, lit up in happiness.

"Bill! You're alright! Man, I was so worried; I never thought you'd recover from that and…" Jon was happy to see Bill, even though it only was a day last time he saw him. Growlithe and Rattata pounced on him, making him hit the floor hard.

"Ow, that hurt! Was that necessary?" he grunted, trying to push away the playful Growlithe and the curious Rattata, who was sniffing in his pockets. "Hey, don't steal anything, haha, it tickles! Jon, HELP!" Jonathan laughed slightly at the small show but he decided it was best if he helped his friend out of it.

Ivysaur glanced at Bill scornfully and scoffed, Caterpie did so too, but smiled slightly when it saw Bill being licked by the orange dog. They resumed to their conversation, which mostly revolved of the incident at the forest.

After having gotten the two Pokémon off him, Bill stood up. "Whoa, they're pretty happy to see me," he stated.

"Heh, yeah, they seem to like you already. But Ivysaur," he cast a glance at the bud Pokémon, "well, he's a little hard headed as I told you before," he whispered, not wanting to suffer the wrath of the Vine Whip. "And just in case you wondered, Caterpie is male."

"Really? How did you figure that out?" asked Bill.

"I asked the nurse, they're very good at telling which gender a Pokémon are, but there are a few ones that are genderless."

"Uh-huh, well, are you itching to have your first gym battle?" inquired Bill.

"Yeah, but are you alright? You were stabbed yesterday so," Jonathan looked at the part of Bill's jeans were they were ripped up. "Whoa, whoa, how come it's almost gone?" he asked.

"Oh, I knew you were going to get surprised by that, you know, they used some kind of medicine, I don't know what, but it sure damn helped the healing process," lied Bill, he really started to feel guilty after all this lying. If he got exposed, he would never be able to talk to anyone.

"I see. But in case you wonder, I paid the bill up front, seeing that it actually was my fault that Scyther attacked you." He looked down, "I didn't believe you," he said quietly, swallowing once.

"So you didn't," said Bill lowly. The atmosphere in the lobby had already changed dramatically. "You didn't believe me?" he asked, wanting a confirmed answer, Jonathan shook his head, looking down.

"I-I thought you just made that up… too sound like some cool guy… you know," Jonathan said, feeling very guilty.

"To sound like some cool guy, thank you, Jon, thank you so fucking much! Gosh, I'm suffering from a frickin' amnesia and you say you don't believe me?"

"Hey! I did save you back there!"

"Yeah, but still it almost cost my life! I told so many times it wanted to kill me, but no, no, you just said it weren't' going to!"

"You provoked it!"

"You made it fall asleep on top of me!"

The argument went more and more savage, people started to gather around the two teens. Acting fast Jonathan hushed Bill.

"Bill, let's just get out of here, let's go to the gym," he requested. Bill nodded, still upset over that his 'friend' didn't believe him.

"Alright, alright, just so we get this over with." They both headed out from the PokéCentre, Jonathan had recalled his Pokémon and they went out.

While they walked towards the Pokémon Gym of Pewter Bill still sulked.

"Bill, quit the sulking! You're behaving like a eight year old!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" he snapped back. It was quiet for a while when he broke the silence. "Thanks for saving me, it's just that I get upset easily. But I did notice your Ivysaur doesn't like me," he said, much more calm than he was before.

"Yeah, he really seems to dislike you, he even tried to aid that Scyther to kill you, but something must've upset him. It's all about respect."

Bill stopped walking, Jonathan looked at him, puzzled. "Respect, you say? You know, respect comes from within," Bill said, thumping his chest lightly. "It's here where the power flows."

"What are you trying to get to now, Bill?" Jonathan inquired.

"What I'm trying to say, Jon," he made a pause, suddenly shooting both his hands up in the air, "is that I'm hungry!" he finally exclaimed.

"What? Bill, please can I fight first and then eat?" protested Jonathan, slightly taken aback of that statement.

"No, when I'm hungry, I AM hungry! Now take me to the closest eating place here!" demanded a very hungry Bill.

Jonathan sighed. "Aw, man. Travelling with you takes forever, Bill! You just keep stalling me!"

"Telling bad jokes, being stupid and stalling people is my forte, Jon! I'm so hungry that I could eat a… a… an entire gondola fruitcake whole!" Jonathan looked at him very strange.

"A WHAT? You're sure you don't need another days rest at the PokéCentre?" he said as Bill chuckled lightly.

"Let's just say I'm really hungry, aren't you hungry too?" When Bill said that, Jon's stomach began to growl.

"Now that you say it… let's eat!" he agreed.

"That's the spirit, Jon!" he said as they headed for the nearest café. When they came to the café, which seemed more like a fast food joint, they entered it and sat down by a table. They looked through the menu and decided to choose something simple, they both ordered one big hamburger.

"Seems we like the same type of food," Jonathan stated.

"Hey, who does not like hamburgers?" interjected Bill.

"Okay, okay, I get it! By the way, Bill, Officer Jenny wants to speak with you."

"What? She's here too? Or is it her sister too? Jon, how come that there's two Nurse Joys and two Officer Jennies?" Bill asked, still very confused of the oddities of this dimension.

"There aren't just two of them! There are _many_ of them! And they all look the same and got the same names!" Bill lightly shook his head, this illogical fact was too much for him to handle.

"Uhh, WEIRD! Anyway, why does she want to talk with me about? About the Scyther attack?"

"Uh-huh, I think so. She said that Jenny in Viridian had warned her about you, and that she knows about your encounter with the Scyther."

"She did? Oh man, am I gonna get it now." Bill looked down.

"Hey, Bill, don't worry, I got you covered if she claims that you returned to the forest only to confront the Scyther on purpose again, if it's that she wanted to speak about."

"Thanks, Jon, you're a real friend… and yet we've only known each other for a couple of days! But I think I got over the fact that you didn't believe me before."

"Yeah, you know, I was shocked when it turned out to be true when it came from nowhere, threatening you like that and stabbing you in the leg, which was wicked I tell you!"

"I couldn't believe it would do that, even though I knew I was done for." He sighed, thinking of what it might have done if Jonathan had been attacked, or even _killed_ by the Scyther after it was done with Bill.

"Speaking of that Scyther, there was something unusual about it." Jonathan put his hands on his chin, rubbing it. Bill rolled his eyes.

"No shit! It was homicidal!" he exclaimed.

"Not that! It was the colour of it… Scythers usually are light-green or lime green, but that one was more like… dark green, and its joints were more redder…" he grumbled.

"So you're saying that it was… _evil_?" Bill asked, he wondered if that Scyther was one of _the evil one's_ assistants. The waiter then came with the food. "Thanks!" he said as he began to eat his burger.

"No, Bill, Pokémon aren't evil," he stated, continuing before Bill interjected, "they only live up to their nature, that's all. What I was going to say, Bill, that it must have been _shiny_!" he said as he took a bite of his burger.

"Shiny?" wondered a confused Bill.

"Yes! In both Kanto and Johto, there exist shiny Pokémon! A shiny Pokémon is a Pokémon with a different colour, and they're usually much stronger than the usual of that species!" explained Jonathan, but then started to think more. "But that means… I just missed the chance of catching a shiny Scyther! A once in a lifetime opportunity and I wasted it! Noooo!" he howled in disappointment.

"So, shiny Pokémon are rare, aren't they?" Bill asked, noticing a great disappointment flood over his friend's face.

"Of course they are! Do you know how rare they are?" Bill shook his head. "It's probably the reason that Scyther was so fierce, and what's worse, it could've been the leader of the swarm."

"So, if you had defeated it, chances would be that they wouldn't have come back for their leader, right?" Bill concluded._ 'But then, this is perfect! Now I can tell them apart thanks to its colour! But the fact that it's stronger too, it might get me even if I'm in Pokémon status,'_ he thought then, still eager to get back on that Scyther.

"No, what I'm trying to say is that the leader will probably try to influence the other ones to hunt you down, and probably me too," Jonathan stated, obviously worried, "And if I had caught it, it would probably use its first opportunity to kill you."

But you kicked its ass, didn't you? Well, you at least paralyzed it with the help of Ivysaur," said Bill.

"But, hello? Aren't you wondering about something?"

"About what?"

"The attack Rattata did, that Flame Wheel attack!" Jonathan exclaimed impatiently, wanting to show off.

"Oh yeah, but what's so special about that?" asked Bill.

"Give me a break! Rattatas usually don't know that attack! She inherited from her father, who was an Arcanine!" he lightly shouted. Bill already knew what an Arcanine was so he was very disgusted by that thought.

"What? A dog and a rat? That's disturbing!" he exclaimed, "what on earth makes you think that I'll believe that?"

"Oh, it seems you're not used to the breeding system, are you?" Bill shook his head. "Figures, you see, when two Pokémon care a lot of each other, their genes are mixed and produced into an egg. The egg always contains the species of the female, but in some cases it has been known only one of the Pokémon liking the other," he lectured.

"Raping, in other words, or what?" Bill wondered.

"Eh, not really, since no, um, sex is involved, heh. I told you before that the DNA are mixed together which creates an egg," explained Jonathan.

"Oh really, so are there some kind of limitations?" asked Bill.

"Yes, there are several egg groups, as they're called, but I don't know all of them. I think it's best if you read about that if you want to know more about that."

"Um, no thanks, I'm about to lose my appetite," Bill said, a little paler than usual. "How did you figure this out?" he then asked.

"Oh yeah, when Rattata and Bulbasaur sparred, she used that move when she was told to fight freely. Of course I was dumbfounded by that so I took off to Prof. Oak."

"Doctor Doak?" Bill asked, after playing too much Goldeneye back home with his friends it was no doubt he'd think the name was Dr. Doak, but of course this was another world.

"Doak? Really, that amnesia of yours really have gotten into you, it's Professor Oak! Professor Oak is one of the greatest Pokémon researchers in Kanto and it is he who gives out the Pokédex to new trainers! And he is also the one who gives out the three starters for new trainers; I got Bulbasaur, I was lucky to be there in time, unlike those pansyass trainers who always have to be late for some reason!"

"I see, so this Prof. Oak is the one who researches new Pokémon?" Bill said a little confused, Jonathan slapped his forehead in stupidity.

"No, no, no! Dummy! He's the one who discovered most, if not all, of the Pokémon in Kanto! And some from Johto too!"

"Oops, my bad!" Bill said, chuckling. _'Hmm, this is a toughie; I might have to avoid him,'_ he then thought.

"What's on your mind now, Bill?" Jonathan asked, he had noticed that Bill was thinking for himself again.

"Uhm, nothing! Let's finish eating so you can get your first badge, don't ya think?" he said while he and Jonathan started to eat faster.

"Another thing, though, you saw that Ivysaur used Stun spores on that Scyther, didn't you?" he then said.

"Yeah, is Ivysaur not supposed to know how to do that too?" Bill questioned nonchalantly.

"No, actually not! As a Bulbasaur, when I was having a battle against a trainer who had a Vileplume, another Grass Pokémon, and she ordered it to use Stun Spore on him. Well, it had a grave effect on him, but he was kind of absorbing it too," he explained, "Of course he was defeated, but I was surprised when he used it when I trained him."

"Gee, it seems most of your Pokémon are unique in some way… can your Growlithe use an ice attack?" Bill asked jokingly.

"No, you idiot! I don't want to hear your witty comments! Let's go to the gym, so I get this over with!" yelled Jonathan. They finished, paid their checks and left the café, heading for the gym.

"I hope I'll do well," he said, very nervous, he had his Pokémon with him this time.

"Hey, don't worry; I'll be there to cheer you up!" They were outside the gym and went inside only to find the same guy Jonathan had 'challenged' yesterday.

"Oh, if it isn't the one who challenged me without his Pokémon?" He chuckled, "if you're that forgetful, you really shouldn't bother challenging me…" he mocked Jonathan, while enlarging a pokéball and tossed it in his hand.

"I brought them now, and I still want to challenge gym leader Greg," Jonathan said as he clenched his fists.

"Hmm, guess I should give you a chance, a one on one battle, okay?" he said, knowing that this would be fun.

"That's okay. By the way, what's your name?"

"If that would matter, the name's Dean," the trainer revealed. "Okay then, let's battle! I choose you Sandshrew!" Dean shouted as he threw the pokéball.

A bipedal, yellow like crossbreed of a mouse and an armadillo appeared. It had thick yellow scales that served as armour, and its eyes were completely black. It was pretty short, though, but it sure would pack a punch.

Jonathan wondered if he should use his Pidgey or Growlithe for this battle, he decided to use Pidgey even though he was weak, but he had the type immunity.

"Okay, let's kick some ass, no not you!" He had taken his pokéball containing Pidgey and prepared to throw it but another one of his pokéballs had opened revealing his Caterpie.

"And both of the contestant's Pokémon are chosen!" someone from above shouted, it was the referee.

"Oh no! Caterpie, why did you come out for?" Jonathan whined when he noticed that Caterpie had exited his own pokéball so it could battle.

"I think his wanted to battle, Jon, judging from his temper last time," Bill said, figuring out why it happened. Jonathan looked down in disbelief.

"Oh, man, Caterpie, thank you, I really needed this," he muttered in irony, only to receive a yelling from the caterpillar Pokémon.

"Okay Sandshrew, use Scratch on that Caterpie!" Dean ordered, knowing that this was going to be an easy victory. His Pokémon darted towards the bug Pokémon ready to slash at him with its claws. But it was pretty slow.

"Caterpie, try to bind it to the ground!" Jonathan commanded his Caterpie, he knew it was a risky shot but it was his only chance since if Caterpie missed, Sandshrew would knock him out in one hit. The little Pokémon didn't shot out its silk-like liquid Jonathan commanded him to; he just looked calmly at the Sandshrew as it approached him.

"Caterpie, what are you waiting for! Use the String Shot!" Jonathan was sweating; he couldn't afford to lose now, especially not to this jerk. Caterpie didn't seem to respond, he just waited for the Sandshrew to attack. When the Sandshrew raised its clawed hand to strike, Caterpie finally shot out its sticky liquid at the ground Pokémon's hand halting its attack.

Sandshrew didn't like having the sticky substance around its hand, it tried to get rid of it with its other hand but that resulted only in getting its both hands stuck in the substance. It looked quite comical to Bill when he watched the armadillo like Pokémon furiously thrashing about its claws trying to get the stuff from its paws.

"Sandshrew, try to get it off from you!" shouted Dean, surprised by Jonathan's counter.

"Caterpie! That was a close call! Now, tackle it while it's busy!" Jonathan ordered, knowing that he now had the upper hand in this battle as long as Sandshrew's hands were stuck in the silk-like liquid which began to harden. Caterpie launched himself towards the mole Pokémon and head butted it right on its head.

Sandshrew got hit and fell backwards, it wasn't knocked out however but it had taken some damage and it had gotten angrier after the attack, it started to shake its hands more violently in order to get rid of the stuff holding its hands together.

"Damn! This isn't fair, you're cheating, you big meanie!" Dean shouted at Jonathan, hating the fact that Jonathan is winning.

"What do you mean cheating? It's not my fault that your Sandshrew got its hands all tied up!" he retorted while ordering his Caterpie to do another Tackle. The bug launched itself towards Sandshrew yet again and hit its head, making it angrier than before, it started to pull its hands away from each other trying to get free from the sticky grip. Finally, the hardened substance shattered and Sandshrew's hands were free, and it was furious.

"Yes! Who's laughing now eh? Sandshrew, show that pesky Caterpie your Fury Swipes!" Dean ordered. Sandshrew looked at Caterpie as if smiling; suddenly it darted towards the bug at a high speed which weren't that fast.

"Caterpie jump out of the way!" Jonathan started to sweat again in anxiety; Sandshrew had freed itself from the String Shot and was now attacking Caterpie. As Caterpie jumped out of the way from the swipe, Sandshrew turned around quickly to slash at him again. Caterpie kept dodging and Sandshrew kept attacking. Jonathan knew that Sandshrew's and Dean's goal was to tire out Caterpie so he couldn't dodge anymore, then Caterpie got hit in his midsection, he was thrown several metres away but he wasn't knocked out yet.

"Sandshrew, keep attacking! Don't let it get up!" Dean once again commanded, he knew that if he took that bug out now, he would win and that would teach that cheating teen a lesson. Okay, he didn't cheat but he was just using cheap tactics!

"Caterpie are you okay?" Jonathan asked his Pokémon, he got up immediately ready to jump out of the way yet again from the armadillo like Pokémon's attack.

"Your bug won't last any longer, loser, why don't you call it back to save it from defeat?" Dean tauntingly said to Jonathan.

"Grr, shut up, brat! I don't wanna take any advice from you!" he snapped back, coming up with an idea. "Caterpie! Next time it charges you try to trip it using your, uh, tail and use String Shot while it's down!" He knew it was a _very_ risky move. Caterpie waited for the Sandshrew to swipe at it again and once again moved a little to the left, but this time Sandshrew accidentally stepped on the bug causing it to lose its balance and it fell face first on the rock surface.

"What? That couldn't have happened! Sandshrew, get up and continue to attack it!" Dean shouted, being caught off-guard by Jonathan's quick order. The mole Pokémon, however, didn't have the time to get up before it found itself being sprayed yet again with the same white, sticky liquid. This time it was all over its body, but nothing hit its face though, and it was tied to the ground in a standing position.

"Okay, Caterpie, finish it off with a Tackle! Full power!" Jonathan knew that this was it, Sandshrew was incapable of moving and his Caterpie had a free shot, but it looked a little hurt from the impact from the other Pokémon's foot when it stomped on it and therefore, it hesitated a little.

"Oh no! Sandshrew, try to get it off from you!" Dean panicked; he didn't want to lose against this brat! Sandshrew, however, couldn't move, it was completely still.

"Hmm, Caterpie, I don't think you need to Tackle it… it is completely still anyway." Then, Caterpie began to glow white. "What's happening? Are you evolving?" Jonathan was astonished, "Wohoo! You evolved into a Metapod!" he cheered.

"Uh, Caterpie is one of the quickest Pokémon to evolve, on par with Weedle," Bill said matter of factly. Jonathan sighed at that; his friend was such a killjoy.

"Let me have some happy moments, Bill!" he whined.

"Sandshrew is loses the battle due to incapability to fight! The challenger wins!" the judge said, raising one of his flags indicating that Jonathan had won, Dean however, was fuming over his loss. He had called his wrapped up Sandshrew back into its pokéball.

"Don't get too overjoyed, you big meanie! I'm just a kid! And you only used the same two attacks!" he said, hating the fact that he _had _lost. Bill however heard what he had said.

"You know, Dean, Caterpie only knows those two attacks AND Jon used them well." He looked over to his friend. "Right, Jon?"

"So right, Bill!" He said, while he was petting his newly evolved Metapod. "I wonder how long it'll take you to become a Butterfree."

"Hey, you shut up! No one told you be a wise ass!" shouted Dean, pointing his index finger at Bill.

"And yet no one told me _not_ to be a wise ass! HA!" Bill countered, amused by the sight of an angry, red faced Dean. "You did a mistake, Deanie-boy, you underestimated Jon's skills and that led you to your defeat!"

"Shut up! Stupid big guy! I'm gonna tell mommy!" he wailed, running off to the exit. Before he ran through the door he turned to Bill. "You Asshole!" he yelled before slamming the door shut with a bang.

"Was that necessary, Bill?" Jonathan asked his friend.

"I don't know, really," he answered. They both proceeded further into the gym, seeing some train their Pokémon. A tall boy, at the age of Jonathan probably, stepped up to face Jonathan. He had raven black hair that was down to his shoulders, he had yellow t-shirt with a red waistcoat over it and he had, like most of the boys Bill had seen, blue jeans.

"I guess you're willing to challenge the gym leader, aren't you?" he inquired. Not wanting the blonde teen to answer he continued, "Well, you'll have to battle me first, 'cause I'm not sure if Greg wants to fight such weaklings!"

"Hey!" Bill stepped in, "He already beat that Dean brat, does he need to fight everybody in here?"

"Heh, no, not really. If your friend beats me he may battle the Gym Leader. Dean you say? Are you that boy who pissed him off?" Bill nodded. "Not very nice you know, considering that I saved you yesterday," he said lowly.

"Oh really, thanks for that then," Bill thanked.

"But what happened in that forest? Scythers?" he questioned. Bill remained silent.

"He doesn't want to talk about it!" Jonathan interjected, "Let's have this battle!"

"Okay, then. After I'm done with you, I'll show you the meaning of losing, dude! For humiliating my little brother!" the black haired trainer said.

"I'm not a trainer, so there's nothing you could do about it… dude!" Bill snapped back.

"Cut it, Bill!" Jonathan ordered, Bill scoffed and folded his arms. "What's your name by the way, I'm Jonathan."

"Well, if that would matter, I'm Hugh, and I'm not some pushover like my li'l brother! Let's get to the rules first."

"Wow, this is gonna rock so much! NOO! Bill, your bad humour is taking effect on me too!" Jonathan said as he realized he had cracked an own pun because Pewter City was known for its rocks and that the gym was rock/ground based.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

A/N

So, now some things were cleared up, the use of Flame Wheel and Stun Spore. I think that was it, to you who re-read the story, there weren't any major changes though.


	11. Pewter Gym Battle and the Revenge

_**Chapter 10**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way!

Hmm, I like this new feature, hit counters, since they (almost) indicate if someone have read the story, or at least checked it… but enough of that! Thanks for the reviews so far, but I think the story needs a better summary. I still want some criticism and why not some hot flames? I've been playing Perfect Dark recently so you can expect some music clips from the game in this chapter.

One more note: If you have been confused by the dialogues I'll give you a description of it.

"Normal talk."

'Pokémon talk, that Bill understands'

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic talk"_

I hope you get it.

"Man, it sure is quiet around here! Can someone put in some music? I'd really like some _Rock_ music!" – Bill Anderson

* * *

"**_Pewter Gym Battle and the Revenge"_**

Inside the Pewter Gym, Jonathan and the trainer Hugh were preparing to battle.

"Okay, the rules are two Pokémon each, no switches during battle and the challenger, which is you, chooses Pokémon first, do you accept?" the tall, raven-black haired boy said.

"I accept, even if it's a disadvantage for me," Jonathan said, stroking his dirty blonde hair, thinking which Pokémon he should choose. _'If this guy is Dean's brother, I'm pretty sure he'll use at least one ground Pokémon but I can't take any chances… if I use Pidgey he'll bring out a rock type for sure.'_

"Jon, give it all you got!" Bill cheered. The last battle between Dean and Jonathan had given him a kick, but he also needed to study the strategies all the trainers used, so he could use them himself while battling or when he battles a trainer who has found out his true identity.

"I will, Bill, just watch!" Jonathan replied, he was still thinking of which Pokémon he should choose. _'I should choose Rattata first and pray that he uses a rock type, and if Rattata wins the first fight he _might_ call out a ground type, which in turn Pidgey is immune to,'_ he thought as he reached for the pokéball containing Rattata.

"About time! I thought you were going to stay there all day!" Hugh taunted.

"Yeah, but you gave yourself an advantage so I needed to think a little! Okay, Rattata, let's kick some ass!" Jonathan exclaimed as he threw his pokéball revealing his purple little rat, she sniffed around on the ground instead of getting into battle stance. "Rattata, it's not time for being curious! It's fighting time!" he shouted. She quickly turned her attention at the opposing trainer.

"What, you only have a Rattata? Well, sorry but I think my Geodude is going to win this easily, Go Geodude!" Hugh shouted as he threw his own pokéball revealing a rock Pokémon with two arms, it was levitating on the ground facing the Rattata.

'_Hmm, Rattata might be faster than that Geodude that's pretty obvious but it also looks like it's very tough so I have to rely on her speed…'_ Jonathan thought, trying to make up a good strategy. Hugh, however, didn't want to wait for Jonathan to order his Pokémon to attack.

"Geodude, start out with a Tackle!" He ordered. His Pokémon dashed forward attempting to strike the rat with its powerful fists.

"Rattata jump out of the way right before it hits you and then use a Quick attack on it but don't bite!" Jonathan commanded, knowing that if Rattata was going to attempt to bite the boulder Pokémon. Since it was a rock, Rattata could hurt herself if she attempted to bite it. As the Geodude closed in to the rat Jonathan noticed that Hugh was smiling, had he anticipated Jonathan's counter when he himself ordered his Pokémon to attack?

Jonathan knew he had to pull off the technique he taught Rattata two months ago. "Rattata remember to dodge to the left. Right?" When he said left, he toned his voice up a little. Before Jonathan gave his Pokémon the new command, Hugh had anticipated that Jonathan would tell his Pokémon to dodge and Hugh was ready for that but now he didn't know which direction the Rattata was going to jump to, left or right?

"Geodude be ready to counter to the left with a Rock throw!" Hugh commanded, he wiped some sweat from his forehead. As Geodude punched the rat, it turned out that it had missed, but as it recovered from the miss, it threw some rocks to the left… and they hit nothing but air. "Dang, where'd it go?" he growled in confusion.

"Now use the Quick attack from above!" Jonathan ordered, ignoring Hugh's confusion. Rattata attacked Geodude from above and hit right on its head, what happened was this: when Geodude missed, Rattata jumped to the left and then jumped up in the air, leaving the Rock Pokémon confused as it thought that the rat would be on ground level after the dodge leaving it open to attack. It took some damage but it was tough, as Jonathan had anticipated, and he knew that he had to land more hits to win the first round.

"Impressive, really, but it will take more than one attack to defeat Geodude," said Hugh, impressed by Jonathan's action.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that out when I first saw it, heh," Jonathan remarked. "Rattata, Focus your energy!" He then told his Pokémon. The purple rat closed her eyes and concentrated for a second, a pale purple light enveloped her as she became temporary stronger.

"I won't let you do that! Geodude, Rollout on that rat now!" Hugh ordered his rock Pokémon as it began to roll at a high speed towards Rattata.

'_Uh-oh, not good,´ _Jonathan thought,_ 'even if Rattata dodges it, it will be too far away for her to counter it, guess I'll have her to dodge it until it's done with the rolling…'_ "Rattata use Agility and dodge it as much as you can!" he shouted. Rattata began to dart around raising her speed to the max and began to dodge the rolling Geodude with great difficulty since the rock Pokémon was rolling _very_ fast. Hugh looked on as the Rattata was dodging his Pokémon and tried to find a pattern.

"Oh yeah! This surely is some real Rock 'n Roll! Wohoo!" Bill cheered, grinning at his own pun.

"Geodude, keep on rolling!" Hugh ordered his Pokémon to continue the attack, he had calmed down a little after Jonathan's counter and he had winded up a good counter against that rat. "Okay, Geodude, one more time!"

"Keep dodging, Rattata, and wait for a clean shot!" commanded Jonathan, he was getting anxious as Hugh was smiling again. Rattata dodged the Geodude once more but as it dodged Hugh shouted out a new order to his Pokémon.

"Now's your chance, Geodude, grab it and do a Seismic toss!" The Geodude stopped rolling and, almost instantly, grabbed the purple rat with one of its hands and held it up in the air a little, looking at its trapped opponent before jumping up in the air and threw the rat down with all its might.

"Rattata, are you okay?" Jonathan asked his Pokémon. She jumped up, ready for the next command.

"Ouch, that's gotta leave a mark!" said Bill, feeling sorry for Rattata.

"Geodude, grab it again and squeeze the air out if it!" The Geodude grabbed the rat Pokémon, surprisingly quick, again and squeezed it with one hand, Rattata struggled to get off the grip but she couldn't. Jonathan was on the verge of panicking.

'_Oh shit! What am I going to do? I can't lose the first round! She'll faint soon if I don't do anything… now I know! It may not be very effective, but enough to catch it off guard!'_ he thought.

"It appears your Rattata is losing…" Hugh pointed out to Jonathan while Rattata desperately tried to get off Geodude's grasp. It tried to bite it, but to no avail.

"Nah, I don't think so. Rattata, burn it with Flame wheel!" Jonathan ordered his Pokémon.

"Don't be stupid, Rattata doesn't know any elemental attacks and even if…" Hugh started but was cut off when Rattata produced a ring of fire around her and released it right into Geodude's face, catching it off guard but it wasn't injured, however. "Impossible! How could your Rattata know that attack? But alas, it won't hurt my Pokémon."

"Let's see about that, your Geodude needs to cool off! Rattata, cool it off with Water gun!" Jonathan knew that it was a little under the belt to call out a move the Pokémon didn't know only to confuse the opponent but then Hugh had played a little dirty himself using that grab technique.

"Geodude, throw it away! Quickly!" the other trainer shouted to his Pokémon. He didn't know if the rat knew the attack but if it did it could damage his Geodude heavily, if not knocking it out. The rock Pokémon threw the purple rat away as quickly as it could to avoid the water attack.

"Haha! It was a trick, Hugh, and you fell for it! Now Rattata, Quick attack it!" said Jonathan, he had turned the tables yet again.

"What? Hey! That wasn't fair!" Hugh protested, angry for that he fell for Jonathan's feint, and now Geodude was hit once again by the Rattata.

"Heh, well you didn't play fair either by trying to squeeze my Pokémon, right?" Jonathan retaliated, knowing that he was right. "Rattata do it again!" he said to his Pokémon.

"Grr, Geodude, Tackle it hard now for once and for all!" growled Hugh, he knew that the challenger had the upper hand now. Geodude missed the tackle only to be hit with another quick attack from Rattata. "Geodude, use Rock throw and attack it from a distance." Geodude began throwing rocks towards the rat and Jonathan saw his chance to win the first round.

'_Now's my chance! But it might be too risky,'_ he thought first while his Rattata dodged some of the rocks. "Rattata, sorry for telling you to do this, run towards it and latch on from behind and use Hyper fang!" His Pokémon charged towards the rock Pokémon and jumped over it, latched on it from behind and bit it with all its might. She hurt her fangs a great deal but it was enough for the Geodude to give up.

"Yes! First round goes to me!" he cheered, but then knelt down to Rattata's level, "Rattata, are you alright?" he asked, worried if she had hurt herself after the attack. She nodded to show her master that she was still okay, but she had hurt herself after the attack, and therefore was weak.

"Geodude is unable to battle! The challenger wins the first round!" the referee exclaimed.

"Geodude, come back, you'll do better next time. First round goes to you then… nice tactic you used there by tricking me. How did your Rattata learn Flame wheel?" Hugh asked.

"One of her parents was an Arcanine."

"Ah, I see. But that won't help it this time! Go Sandslash!" Hugh shouted as he threw his other pokéball revealing the evolution of Sandshrew, it was yellow and had brown spines on its back and resembled a mole/hedgehog. The armadillo-like hide its predecessor had was gone, but it was more muscular though. But what was most notable, was the claws it had on its paws, they were bigger, and longer.

'_Yes! Just as I suspected! His little brother used a Sandshrew and therefore, almost logically, his older brother would use an evolution of it! Now I can use Pidgey when Rattata faints,'_ Jonathan thought, even though his Pidgey was one of his weaker Pokémon, it was his best bet since he had to save his Ivysaur for the gym leader.

"Sandslash, use a Sand attack first!" Hugh commanded his Pokémon. The Pokémon threw sand in Rattata's eyes, blinding her. Using the advantage he had by Jonathan thinking he let out a new order, "Good, now use Swift!" Sandslash were glowing white for a second and then unleashed countless small stars from its body and almost all of them sailed toward Rattata.

"Heh, the stars are all over her! She's really famous!" Bill joked again, which caused Jonathan to get irritated.

"Quiet you! Rattata, try to dodge it!" he shouted, he knew that it was almost impossible to dodge the attack but maybe Rattata could try to dodge it as much as she could to minimize damage. That wouldn't be so hard if she wasn't blinded however, she used her good hearing to determine where the attack came from but to no avail, she was hit head on. Rattata fell on the ground after the attack.

"Ehh, Rattata? Are you alright?" he asked, she slowly got up.

"Persistent little rat," Hugh mumbled to himself. "Slash it now!" he ordered his hedgehog like Pokémon; it ran towards Rattata who still tried to get the sand off her eyes. Jonathan knew that she couldn't take another hit.

"Rattata, be ready to dodge to the right," he told her, she still blinked her red coloured eyes, trying to get the sand out via tears, she arched down and waited for her trainer to shout, "Now!" he shouted, and Rattata jumped out of the way right before Sandslash was about to hit it. After the dodge Rattata finally got the sand out of her eyes and her vision was clear.

"Quick attack now, Rattata!" he commanded yet again and Rattata dashed forward towards Sandslash which itself was recovering from the missed slash it had attempted. Rattata leaped on hit and bit the yellow Pokémon in the face. Sandslash screeched in pain and grabbed the purple rat with its clawed hand and glared at her with murder in its jet black eyes.

"Sandslash, Slash it now to finish it!" Hugh shouted and his Pokémon gave the purple rat a murderous look before raising its other claw.

"No, don't do it! I forfeit that round, just don't slash her up!" the blonde trainer pleaded. Hugh ignored that and let his Sandslash slash at Rattata's face. It tossed her to the ground, three gashes were shown on her face, and she was bleeding.

"You asshole! Was that necessary?" Jonathan yelled as he recalled the bleeding Rattata. "Why'd you take your anger out on her when it was Bill who ticked your brother off?"

"Well, I had to repay the dept anyway," he retorted.

"Hey, Hugh, if you beat Jon that way I'll bitch you up!" threatened Bill.

"Take it easy, Bill, I got him," he said, "I hope," he mumbled quietly._ 'Well, I knew she was going to fall sooner or later, but this calls for Pidgey. But the thing is that Sandslash is very strong and Pidgey could barely beat it, and I've only had him for three weeks,'_ he thought as he was going to choose Pidgey.

Finally, he made up his mind and picked up his pokéball containing Pidgey. "Well, I have one more left and I'm sure he'll kick your Sandslash's ass! Let's do this, Pidgey!" He threw his pokéball containing Pidgey.

'_Shit! I didn't know he'd bring a flying Pokémon into a rock gym! This kid is pretty smart after all! And I who'd taught Sandslash Earthquake! Now it's useless!' _Hugh thought, but he then realized that his Pokémon could easily overpower the bird using other attacks. "Alright Sandslash be ready to attack when it comes close!" he warned his Pokémon.

"Pidgey, try to blow it down with a Gust, and quickly follow up with a Whirlwind!" ordered Jonathan, he knew that Pidgey could execute those attacks as he had seen him doing them before. The brown bird chirped his name and flapped his wings trying to knock over the spiked mouse Pokémon, it only slid a little distance but it still stood up.

"Sandslash attack it now!" Hugh bellowed, he thought that Pidgey had finished its Whirlwind but the bird had only finished the Gust. As Sandslash charged the bird, who had started to flap his wings more violently which caused a whirlwind, the mouse was trapped in the whirlwind and it screeched as it spun around in the air.

Pidgey seemed to be happy of what it heard, neither of the trainers had understood what the mouse screamed out but Hugh was certain that it had to do with Sandslash's weakness. _'Oh no! I forgot that Sandslash is scared of heights! And I'm pretty sure that bird heard it scream that it was afraid of heights,'_ he thought worried.

"What, Pidgey? Is there something wrong?" Jonathan asked, he hadn't noticed that Pidgey had noticed that Sandslash was afraid of heights. Pidgey looked at his master and forced to smile, which looked rather comical. "I don't what you're trying to say but do whatever you want," he said confused as Pidgey nodded and waited for Sandslash to make its next move. The Sandslash, however, had fallen down when the whirlwind had ended and it was a little dizzy.

"Sandslash, snap out of it! Attack it again!" Hugh ordered, he was getting anxious because to his Pokémon's weakness against heights. But the Pidgey was fast enough to fly up to the spiny Pokémon and grabbed it with his talons, in a way so he would get stung by the spikes.

'_What is Pidgey doing? Why take the opponent for a fly?'_ Jonathan thought, watching the bird fly higher. Sandslash tried to swipe him several times, but when the ground Pokémon accidentally looked down, it screeched in fright. It covered its eyes so it wouldn't look down, and Pidgey started to fly around the arena to scare it even more.

"No, Sandslash, not now!" screamed Hugh.

"Is it afraid of heights? Now that's some weakness!" Jonathan remarked, "Pidgey, I think that's enough," he told his Pokémon. He turned to face his opponent, "Unlike you, I know when a Pokémon is defeated."

"Shut up!" was Hugh's answer. Pidgey descended to the ground, hovering a half metre from the ground. He chirped something to the hedgehog Pokémon, which made it screech even more in terror, and let it go. Sandslash fell the short distance, and when he landed, he fainted because of the fright.

"Ehh, Sandslash, don't say that you… okay then, you won!" growled Hugh, angry of the humiliating loss.

"Sandslash is unable to battle! The challenger wins!" the ref said raising a flag, indicating that Jonathan had won.

"Yes, I won! Nice going there, Pidgey!" he cheered as he petted his, still unharmed, Pokémon. He summoned the bird back into his pokéball, looking at his defeated opponent.

"Whatever! You were just using the weakness of my Pokémon to win," he protested.

"What? It's called strategy, and that's what Pokémon battles are about," Jonathan retaliated.

"Well, if I'd chosen Sandslash first and then Geodude, I think I'd have the victory."

"You're right… let's just say I was lucky," admitted Jonathan. Hugh calmed down a bit

"But your Pokémon did well, and so did you. Good luck battling Greg, you might need it." He turned to Bill, "And you, please don't mess with my bro, he's still fresh when it comes to Pokémon training," he then said, leaving the gym to heal his Pokémon at the PokéCenter.

"Hey!" Jonathan said before Hugh reached the entrance. "Sorry about that with Sandslash, okay?"

"Heh, that's okay. I lost another battle due to his weakness for heights. But I'd like a rematch in the future," Hugh said before exiting through the door. Bill then came up to Jonathan.

"So the next battle is for the badge, right?" he asked, "I hope these n00bs will let you alone now."

"Hey, you're not a trainer so you should shut it!" Jonathan spat out, "But oh well, it's time to face the gym leader, I hope he accepts a one-on-one battle."

"Uh-huh, good thing you've been saving that Ivysaur for the last battle." They walked through the gym and met a man who seemed to be in the 20's; he had a grey sweater and grey pants. He also had a grey-blue cap on his head which covered most of his brown hair and he was a head taller than Bill.

Both Bill and Jonathan were certain that this was the gym leader Greg. He hadn't noticed them yet as he had his back turned against them

"I suppose you're the gym leader of this gym?" Jonathan asked. The man turned around, looking at the two boys.

"That's correct, and which one of you are willing to challenge me for the Boulder Badge?" he calmly answered.

"I am," Jonathan said "and I've defeated both Dean and Hugh, so I would request that if I could battle you one-on-one," he requested.

"You beat them, in a row? Well, I'm just going to check it, AARON!" he yelled. A junior trainer ran up to him

"What is it now, Greg? It wasn't me who started that Rock Throwing war!" he said, a sharp British accent coming out of his mouth.

"No, I'm not accusing you for… what? A Rock Throwing war? Anyway, I'll deal with that later, did that trainer beat both Hugh and Dean today?" asked Greg.

"Oh, yes he did, and he did it quite professionally, that was smashing!" the younger boy remarked.

"Cut the flattery," Jonathan said coldly, the younger trainer glared at him.

"Well, seeing that as true, a one-on-one battle it will be!" he said, a little more excited.

"Thanks, let's start!"

"Oi, lads!" Aaron shouted to the other trainers who were training in the gym. "It's a gym battle going on here!" A lot of younger trainers came running to see the gym leader battle.

"Before we begin, I would like you," Greg pointed at Bill, "to get up to the stands, seeing it will get too crowded otherwise."

"Okay, okay," he answered, with a slight of annoyance in his voice, and walked towards a flight of stairs that led to higher grounds where the battles could be watched from.

"Okay, now that that's done with, let's start the battle, one-on-one. Onix, show this rookie what you're made of!" he shouted, a huge, grey, serpent appeared from the gym leader's pokéball. Judging by the name, Bill presumed that it was a rock snake. Its very long body was boulders that were attached to each other, the bigger ones near its head and smaller the closer to the end. And lastly, it had a sort of horn on its head, probably being used for digging. Even though he only was watching the battle, he shivered at the sight of the Pokémon, at least this one was tame, but wild ones, he didn't want to think about that.

'_Whoa. That's the biggest Pokémon I've seen so far!'_ he thought when he saw the Pokémon. He saw Jonathan shudder a bit too, that must've been due to fright of snakes, but, like Bill, he assured himself that this one was tamed to the least.

"Okay then, Ivysaur, it's your turn now!" he exclaimed as he threw his pokéball revealing the turquoise dinosaur with the pink-reddish bud on its back. He looked around for a while before smiling, battle time.

"Let's see how long your Ivysaur will last against my Onix! Onix, Head butt it!" Greg commanded his Pokémon. The huge rock serpent roared as it charged towards the Ivysaur, attempting to head butt him, since it was so slow Jonathan knew he had extra time of thinking as an advantage.

"Shoot some Razor Leaves at it, quickly!" Jonathan countered, Ivysaur shot away some leaves at the Onix. The leaves hit the huge rock snake and it staggered back a little, cancelling its attack. This surprised Bill, a lot.

'_What? How could that big, overgrown rock snake take damage from puny little leaves? There must be an explanation of this,'_ he thought, dumbfounded by the attack.

Greg did his best to hide his astonishment, but failed slightly.

"Well, your Ivysaur is pretty strong, I must say," he stated, unable to hide is impression. "Onix, Dig under the ground and wait for my signal to attack!" he commanded his Pokémon. The rock snake burrowed into the ground and everything went quiet.

"Oh no, Greg is using the Dig attack again, do you lads know what that means?" Aaron muttered in his British accent.

"Don't even say it," threatened another one. They knew what would come after the match, filling holes of the battle field, which took ages depending on how often Greg used that attack.

"Ivysaur, be on your guard! It could come up any second!" Jonathan warned Ivysaur. The silence was almost killing him and he'd never know when the Onix would attack. Nothing happened and it was dead silent in the room until Bill broke the silence.

"Man, it sure is quiet around here! Can someone put in some music? I'd really like some _Rock_ music!" Bill said, cracking another pun on purpose.

"Oi!" Aaron shouted, "None more of your bleeding jokes, lad! You're ruining the suspense!"

"Would you please shut your piehole?" Bill replied, imitating the British accent. "Or, I might give you a bleeding punch that'll send you bleedin', mate, and that isn't very smashing."

Aaron was about to reply, but then action took place on the battlefield, the rock snake came up from the ground catching both Jonathan and his Pokémon off guard. Ivysaur was hit and thrown away. He got up quickly and got ready to attack.

"Do it again, Onix!" Greg shouted, Onix burrowed under the ground yet again and everything went silent in the room again. It remained silent for a while until a rumbling startled Jonathan.

"Be on your guard, it might-" Jonathan was cut off when the Onix came up from the ground yet again.

"Bind it!" Greg bellowed, using the challenger's shock as an advantage. The rock snake wrapped itself around Ivysaur and started to squeeze. Jonathan had seen this before but he didn't know what to do and he knew that Ivysaur didn't know a fire attack so he could catch Greg off guard. "It seems your Ivysaur is losing," said Greg, watching the trapped Pokémon struggle. The rock snake moved its head closer to Ivysaur, looking while he struggled to no use.

"Now, Ivysaur, Vine Whip it in its eye!" Jonathan commanded his Pokémon, seeing that he had his chance. Ivysaur extended two vines that struck Onix' eyes, causing the grip loosen a bit, but not enough for Ivysaur to escape.

"Tighter, Onix, Squeeze the air out of it!" Greg bellowed. "And don't give it another opportunity to attack again!" The rock serpent started to squeeze the mainly turquoise Pokémon even more, preventing him to breathe.

"Try it again, Ivysaur!" Ivysaur tried to whip the rock Pokémon again but he missed, he started to feel weak because of the lack of air and he tried to whip it again while the Onix effortlessly dodged. Jonathan started to sweat in panic, he was so close on earning that badge, and yet so far.

"How sweet, it seems that rock snake has a crush on you, Rosebud!" exclaimed Bill, referring to Ivysaur. Ivysaur knew exactly who the voice belonged to, but he couldn't turn around to glare at him.

First Jonathan cursed under his breath for Bill's bad jokes, but got an idea from the last pun. "Ivysaur, use your Sweet scent!" Ivysaur released some pale green coloured spores which sailed towards the rock serpent. Onix smelled it and got relaxed by the lovely scent it felt, it released Ivysaur from its grip and sniffed around the room to catch the scent. Ivysaur backed away to catch his breath, casting an angry glance at Bill.

"What? Hey! Onix, snap out of it!" shouted Greg, he didn't know that his Onix would let the Ivysaur of its grip when it felt the scent.

"Now shoot out some Sleep powder!" Jonathan said, knowing that he could get himself an advantage. Ivysaur took some deep breaths, still recovering after the squeezing before, and released some more spores, but in a different colour, at the rock snake. Onix accidentally inhaled the sleep powder thinking that it was the sweet scent and began feeling drowsy. It wobbled around a little before falling to the ground, sleeping.

"What? No! Hey, wake up!" Greg shouted in confusion at his Pokémon, which was sleeping.

"Finish off with some Leech Seeds, Ivysaur!" Jonathan commanded, knowing that Ivysaur could absorb the left of Onix' stamina this way. Ivysaur sent out three bright green orbs that connected to the huge serpent, and then extended his vines, connecting where the orbs where. He was now sucking the life of the huge snake, which twitched every now and then, but stayed asleep.

"I forfeit," Greg slowly said, returning his soon to be beaten Pokémon.

"The gym leader forfeits the match, the challenger wins!" the ref exclaimed.

Jonathan jumped in joy, and so did Ivysaur. "YEEEAAAH! We won, we won, we won!" he cheered along with his Pokémon.

"Great going, Jon! That battle was smashing!" Bill shouted, receiving a glare from both Aaron and Ivysaur.

"Very clever, indeed, I never thought that you'd change the situation so suddenly," Greg said to Jonathan.

"Actually, I never thought that too. What I really planned was that your Onix would loosen the grip and its concentration so Ivysaur could get in another attack."

"But that didn't happen, did it?" he said as he beckoned Jonathan to come to him. "Come here, kid, so I can give you the Boulder Badge, good luck on the oncoming gyms," he finished.

"Yes! Thanks!" He held up the badge, showing it to Bill. "You see, Bill? I got the badge, Woo! Let's celebrate!" he exclaimed.

"How?" asked Bill.

"We're going to the café and drink us full on soda, man!"

"Oh yeah! I'm in for sure!" Bill agreed, running down the stairs to Jonathan. When he approached his friend he noticed that Ivysaur was growling lightly at him.

"Ivysaur, calm down!" Jonathan scolded.

"Nice battling there," Bill remarked, trying to get on Ivysaur's good side, but when he noticed the glare he received, he added, "Rosebud!" Ivysaur's eyes widened in anger and prepared to lunge at the insolent teen. But a red beam called him into his pokéball.

"Bill! You really need to settle down with Ivysaur! It's a "he", and he certainly doesn't want to be called Rosebud! Don't be such a killjoy, let's go to the café!" Jonathan suggested, upset over Bill's urge to make fun of everybody in his eyeshot.

The gym leader looked at them and shook his head, "to be young again," he muttered. "Okay, trainees, it's time to clean this up! You two fetch the spades, and you two organize the digging. There are more battles coming up today, so keep the challengers busy, okay?" he ordered. Being a gym leader had its advantages and disadvantages, such as commanding practising students and such, and cleaning the gym after badge battles. And Greg didn't want to think about the damages the Rock Throw war had caused.

The two boys were walking down the street heading for the nearest café so they could buy a large stock of soda they would be drinking for the rest of the coming hour. However, their happiness faded away quickly when they heard an all-familiar voice.

"Well, I assume you're Bill J. Anderson, if I'm not mistaken." They both turned around to see the female police officer with the curly blue hair, eyeing him suspiciously.

'_What now? I haven't been involved in crime here, yet,' h_e thought before answering. "Yes, I am Bill Anderson. What's the problem?"

"It is you, young man, and if I'm correct, you were the one who was attacked two days ago by a Scyther, is that true?" she started, looking at Bill very suspiciously.

"H-how do you know, officer?" he replied.

"The doctor informed my cousin in Viridian, who warned me of you, you're quite the trouble some boy, I've heard," she stated.

"Hey, just because those Rocket thugs decide to rob places I'm at," protested Bill.

"In either case, if you have been aware of Scythers being after you, why did you enter the forest anyway?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously again. Before Bill could answer, Jonathan stepped in.

"That's because I convinced him to," he started. The officer swiftly turned her attention to the blonde, younger teen.

"And why did you do that? Didn't you know that he had been attacked by Scythers?"

"Yes I did know, but I asked him to tag along with my journey and in order to get here, we had to cross the forest! The fact is that he first didn't want to but I convinced him to anyway and I told him that if we kept ourselves outside its territory it wouldn't attack him."

"And yet he was taken to the PokéCenter," she stated matter of factly.

"But, officer, come on! This guy's got amnesia! He doesn't know where he is!"

"That's no excuse, those Scythers have been more aggressive this week and we don't want them raiding a city because of one boy stirring them up!" the officer scolded, glancing at Bill.

"But wouldn't it be unwise for them to attack Pewter? Rock Pokémon are pretty effective against them," Jonathan countered.

"I wasn't talking about Pewter!" she spat back, obviously more irritated. "I'm referring to Viridian! You don't play around with Pokémon like Scythers!"

"Have they ever raided a city?" was Bill's question.

"No, but we're suspecting it because of their raised activity in the forest!" She looked sternly in Bill's eyes. "Listen well, if you as much as enter that forest again, I will have you charged for attempt on Pokémon agitation. And if they ever attack Viridian or Pewter, you're suspected of it. Got it?" she growled.

Bill nodded slowly, clearly scared of the officer, he didn't want to end up behind some bars now. "Yes, officer."

"Good, remember, I will keep my eyes on you, even if you suffer from this amnesia you claim to have, I will bring you in if you're suspected." With that she wheeled around and left.

"Jeez, Jenny's such a killjoy!" Jonathan exclaimed when the police officer was out of earshot. "Hey, Bill, are we going to the café or not?"

"You know, I'm feeling a bit down, I think I'm off to the library to read some more," said Bill.

"Oh well, there goes that celebration." Jonathan looked up at the sky, it was already getting orange. "You know, Bill, I think I'll go to the Centre and get some sleep, I've been awake since 5 this morning, to eager to hear about our status."

"Really? Well, I always seem to get out from sticky situations, my guardian angel has been quite active this week, heh, see ya until then, Jon," he said as he left his blonde friend and headed to the library.

"Don't be up to late reading books, Bill!" Jonathan answered back.

Bill responded with a short wave over his shoulder as he walked towards the library.

'_Man, I really need to get some sleep or I'll pass out.'_ Jonathan thought. _'Hmm, the sun will set very soon, hope Bill doesn't get too caught up in those books.'_

Meanwhile, Bill had entered the library and picked one of the books. He had, again, chosen the _'Pokémon of Kanto Region Encyclopaedia'_ and began reading it, starting from where he ended last. While he was reading he thought about his revenge plan on that Scyther, if he had to do it, it had to be tonight! He didn't care what that cop told him, that Scyther would pay! An urge of revenge started to boil up inside his chest; he slammed the book shut and rushed angrily out of the library.

When outside, he started to think of how he would get out of Pewter unnoticed, well that problem was already solved, he could just use the Stop Watch from a safe distance from people so he could slip out without being noticed. He peeked into the window of the library to see what time it was, it was 8:31 p.m. He knew he had to do this now; this was his only chance since his friend wouldn't suspect him since he'd be sleeping by now.

When he was outside, the sky was turning more purplish orange, soon the sun would set and night would come. He could see the moon, it was a full moon, and this was good, now he wouldn't have any problems of seeing in the dark. He found a silent, dark place where no people could be seen. He took out his watch and before he pressed the button. He suddenly heard someone sobbing not far away, he went to investigate who, or what it was and when he found the source of the sobbing he got surprised.

"Pat? What are you doing here? And what have happened?" he asked her, he recognized her from the PokéCentre in Viridian a couple of days ago. She was crying over something, but he didn't know what. He noticed that her shirt had two cuts in it but she hadn't been harmed. He was certain that she, too, had been attacked by the Scythers.

"Why would you care?" she snapped, not looking at him. She was sitting down against a wall curled into a ball.

"Why wouldn't I, Pat?" he asked.

"How do you know my name anyway?" She said, looking at the one who spoke to her, she recognized him immediately. "Bill, right?"

Bill nodded, "pleased to meet again, Pat, did you have problems with Scythers too?" he inquired

"How do you know?"

"It's pretty obvious seeing those two cuts there," he remarked.

"It's not like you would care anyway!" she snapped again as she turned away from him, continuing her sobbing.

"Hey, now you listen here, Pat, I've been attacked by those Scythers _twice_! Now you tell me what happened!" he almost shouted to her. She gave in and started to tell her story.

"Well, it started when I left this morning from Viridian and figured that if I hurried through the forest, I would get here in one day but in order to do that, I had to cross the Scyther territory." She took a couple of breaths before continuing. "I actually made it through their territory without being seen, or so I thought, because when I was not far away from the end of the forest one of them appeared in front of me and threatened me." She took another couple of deep breaths.

"So I used my Pokémon to fight it, it was pretty tough but I won. When I was about to capture it, it jumped up and looked at me, I didn't know what it was going to do but suddenly it shrieked a cry that echoed through the whole forest. I heard Scythers from everywhere and I knew they were approaching… fast… and." She started to sob again.

"What happened, did they do anything to you?" Bill asked, comforting her a little. This wasn't his style, but he did felt sorry for the girl, after what he had been through.

"No not really, but the Pokémon I had outside my pokéball, was Pikachu and I thought that I could defeat most of them with the help of him. But there where more of them than I thought, probably twenty or so of them and I knew I was in a hopeless situation. The leader of them, it had a different colour, looked at me very viciously and then looked at Pikachu." She started to cry, tears flowed down her cheeks.

"What did they do to your Pikachu? Did they kill him?" Her breathing started to get more rapid, making it difficult to speak.

"No… he looked at them and charged forward while he unleashed some electric attacks but they were too many of them, they easily overpowered him with slashes and attacked him from behind and. But then, when he was beat up and I was about to call him back into his pokéball… they… they… they prevented me to do so… they slashed at me… but I… I didn't get hurt at all but… but… they… they…" She stammered, hiccupping every now and then, she took a deep breath before continuing.

"They took him from me! They forced me out of the forest while my Pikachu still was in there with them!" she cried out loud, tears still flowing down her cheeks. "And... and if I reached to call out another of my Pokémon… they threatened to kill me… one of them slashed at me again… only to intimidate me… and here I am."

"Have you told anyone else?" Bill wondered. She shook her head.

"No… what do you think people will think about me. You must think I'm a terrible trainer, and Pikachus are so cute, you know," she said, sobbing.

"What? What do you mean with that?" asked Bill, having seen the Pokémon in the Encyclopaedia, "They're rats, or mice if you look at them in that way!"

She gave him a fiery glare before going into a slapping frenzy. "They're not rats! They're cute, I say, just because you're older doesn't mean you decide, you meanie!" she yelled at him.

"Ow! Ah! Damn! Oh, hey, stop!" he yelled, grabbing a hold of her hands. "Now, look. Why don't you go to the PokéCentre and get some sleep and try to report the incident while you're on the way," he suggested, holding her hands. She calmed down a bit before answering.

"Well, no one said training Pokémon would be easy… but, what if… what if they kill him? I will never forgive myself if they do… and… and…"

"Schhh-sh-sh-sh," he hushed her, trying to calm her down. "You need some sleep, Pat, seriously."

"Okay… if you say so." She got to her feet and walked towards the centre. "Aren't you coming along?" she asked.

"Nah, I got to do something important for a guy a couple of blocks away, I'll come back soon!" he lied as she left. He took out his watch again and looked around yet again. No one here, he pushed the button and everything went still around him. Now all he had to do was walk out of the city.

When he arrived to the outside of Pewter he continued to walk towards the forest, The environment was so eerie when time was stopped, no shadows, and he could see some Pokémon running about, except that they were frozen in the middle of a run. When he arrived to the edge of the forest he pushed the button on his watch, starting the time flow again.

'_This is it… no turning back now,'_ he thought, he realized had forgotten to change into Pokémon status, how could he be so stupid? Well, he remembered it so he put his hands together and whispered 'Pokémon' to himself slowly as he felt powered up, the same white light enveloped him as he was charging up. After the change, he felt a little dizzy, everything seemed much brighter, he didn't know his night vision had been improved, it was fortunate for him that he possessed that ability.

Remembering the incredible speed that Scythers possessed, according to Jonathan, Bill put his hands together. He felt a rush of electricity painlessly surge through his body, increasing his speed, he needed all speed he could get if he were to face the Scyther leader. When he was done with the charging, he punched lightly in the air, his punches were faster than before, but he had been used to it when he trained with master Zahn.

'_Let's see how tough you are now, you little bugger, now that I possess higher speed,'_ he thought.

He took a deep breath before entering the forest and he entered it. He thought about the poor Pikachu that the Scythers had taken away from Pat, why had they done that? They didn't know that Bill and Pat knew each other, but he got pissed when he heard that the Scyther took her Pikachu.

Walking through the forest wasn't very pleasant; every now and then, he heard rustles from bushes and he thought he saw movements in the forest. Then something came up on his mind, how would he find his way to the Scyther territory? It was getting darker and darker and if he got himself lost, there would be no way he would get back to Pewter fast enough without raising any suspicion. Thanks to his improved night vision, he wouldn't trip on anything.

He kept walking in one direction hoping that he would stumble into the territory, but he was aware that it was a certain Scyther he a bone to pick with and if another Scyther managed to call them all… he didn't want to think about that. He heard movements in the forest again, his heart began to beat faster, and he was on his guard just in case something would attack him.

As he walked, he heard a twig snap, it was clear that he had stepped on it himself, but the sudden sound made him jump up and scream in surprise.

'_Easy now… I'm in Pokémon status so I'm probably safer than I was before, I hope,'_ he assured himself, trying to calm down.

After a couple of minutes walking, he wondered if this really was a smart idea, it was very dark now and the moonlight plus the night vision didn't help out very much in the forest. Then he noticed a movement a distance away from him, even though it was dark, he knew that it was a Scyther. It had probably been watching him for the last two minutes before revealing itself; it had hoped that the human would be scared of its appearance. Bill however didn't let it scare him one bit, he just walked calmly towards it with a sly smile on his face.

"About time, you overgrown bug, you took your time but at least one of you showed up," he said with a very confident tone in his voice.

The Scyther, who didn't appear to be the one that Bill sought, got caught off guard when the human simply walked towards it. Was he planning something? It had to threaten him to show him who it was, this human must've been mistaking it.

'One more step and I'll kill you, human!' it said to him, while it got into its fighting stance. Bill stopped in his tracks, surprised over the fact he understood what the bug had said. He felt strange upon understanding it.

'Good, good. You incompetent humans can do something right after all.' It chuckled while it had its blades ready to strike.

"You know what? I didn't do what you told me to… and I know you won't kill me," Bill said to it while he started to advance again. The Scyther moved up one of its natural weapons to intimidate Bill into stop advancing but he didn't stop. This human was disrespecting it, a lot, and it was about to get angry.

'I warn you, human, leave this area immediately or you will face grave consequences,' it threatened.

"You're not scaring me, Scyther, and when I decide to leave, I leave, whether you want me dead or not," he said calmly while getting into fighting stance. The Scyther had noticed the human was answering straight on its threats and this made it wonder a little.

'How come you understand what I'm saying, human?' it asked him curiously, yet interrogative.

"Is that really important to you, wimp?" he retaliated.

'Do you really know what you're dealing with?' it hissed at him, it was about to lose its temper, 'are you aware that I can take you out before you even land a hit on _me_? You won't be able to keep up with my speed!' it growled in anger. Bill just chuckled at that.

"Heh, let's see about that," he said, knowing that Scyther would attack any moment now. Bill's comment struck the Scyther's nerve; it remained silent and motionless for a second before dashing towards him ready to cut him in half. Bill, however, noticed that after he had enhanced his body with lightning his reaction was much sharper. The Scyther travelled at such a slow speed that he was able to dodge with ease.

'Impossible! How could a mere human…? Ah-HAH! You must be one of those psychic humans! But, to your demise, I'm trained to take on psychics like you.' It charged him again attempting to slash him, but this time Bill had other plans, instead of dodging to the side he hopped back a few times making the Scyther miss by mere centimetres. Directly after he had hopped back he pulled his fist back and landed a Mega Punch right into Scyther's face while it was recovering from the second miss, it staggered back from the blow but it didn't fell down.

While it was stunned Bill dashed forward and kicked it two times in the stomach and one at the head which made it first lose its air after the first two kicks and then after the third kick it staggered back even more. After that Bill had finished his Sonic Kicks he turned around charged up for a Mega Kick, he didn't want waste any 'Special Assaults' on a mere minion of the leader. While his foot was glowing white, Scyther had recovered from its dizzy state just in time to receive a Mega Kick in its stomach making it fall down, the air totally knocked out of it.

"Me, a Psychic? Maybe I'm a Psycho," said Bill, his voice shivering with rage as he looked down at the fallen Scyther, it coughed a little before it tried to get up. Bill planted his foot on its upper chest to prevent it from getting up, it was clear it was already weakened. "No, no, no, you better stay down for you own good." It tried to swipe him with one of its scythes to no avail, he simply grabbed its blade like hand by the side that wasn't sharp and twisted it around, forcing it to roll over on its stomach.

Bill had lifted his foot so he could roll it over and twisted its arm even more. "Now you listen here, you little feeble excuse for a bug, if you as much as try call you your friends I will make you regret it, I will break every bone in your body, then I will rip them out and not letting you die, got it? Good. Where's your territory? I have a bone to pick with your leader," he asked while he twisted the blade even more, making it whine and cringe in pain.

'What…what are you?' it asked him terrified, this only made Bill twist the blade even more.

"I'm asking the questions! What I am is not important for you! Now which direction?" he growled while still twisting its arm slowly, it kicked its legs, indicating the pain it was going through.

'If you let go of my arm I'll show you the direction, please, it hurts!' it begged, Bill loosened the grip on its arm slowly and let it stand up.

"Don't try any tricks," he said coldly. The Scyther was shivering of the sight of that human, it didn't know if he was human but he looked like one. It pointed its scythe to the southeast. "Thank you… so now I suppose I should be leaving, there's nothing more than I hate than unreliable persons/Pokémon, which reminds me." He turned to the Scyther and sent a lightning quick punch to its face which caught it off guard making it fall on the ground face first. Bill grabbed its other arm and twisted it around.

'What is this? I helped you! Why are you doing this to me now?' it protested, trying to get off the arm lock.

"Because I'm not stupid, Scyther, I know that when I've left, you will call your friends. And I have to stop you from doing that." He grabbed one of its wings and held it out stretched. "Such a fine wing, isn't it? I bet you really care for them, hmm?" he stated, his insane voice coming back.

'Hey! Let go of my wing!' the Scyther growled, trying to beat them. But Bill had a firm grip on the wing.

"You're pretty useless while lying down face first, the scythes are useless," he stated, letting to go the scythe he held. He ran his finger on the wing he had outstretched. "Don't be afraid, this will only hurt a lot," he ensured, lifting his foot, lowering the wing.

'No, no, don't do tha-' The Scyther's plea was interrupted by a sickening crunch. It tried to scream but couldn't, the shock was so sudden, and it couldn't get any air. Bill had slammed his foot down on the wing, breaking it in half. He knew he had to shut it up before it started to scream, he quickly covered its mouth as it began screaming a moment after.

He felt the vibration of the muffled scream inside the wounded Scyther's mouth, it didn't attempt to swipe him since that would only worsen the break. Bill lifted it up, dragged it to a nearby tree and banged its head on the tree trunk, the muffled scream raised one pitch, and it started wiggle more. He banged the head into the trunk one more time, this time it fell silent immediately, the body went totally limp. He let go of it, watching it fall down in a heap.

He looked at the fallen praying mantis, wondering if he had gone too far. He saw a crack on its forehead, but it had only fainted, since it was still breathing weakly. He didn't want to look at it anymore so he proceeded to the direction the Scyther had pointed to.

He walked through the dark forest, his night vision helped him a lot, but he could still get lost. He then heard something, it sounded like it was something that was sleeping, he proceeded very carefully, he could be near now. He finally reached a clearing, he saw Scythers, Scythers everywhere, and they were sleeping.

He didn't know if they were light or heavy sleepers but if he woke them all up, he'd be dead, what he had to do was to find the leader and take it to a more secluded area away from the other Scythers. All he knew about the leader is that it was dark green instead of lime green; it also was a little taller than the other Scythers. He walked around quietly trying to identify the leader but couldn't find him.

'_Man, I've been looking for that leader but I'm pretty damned sure I've checked everyone more than twice now!'_ He looked around the area and walked away from there, but when he walked away from the sleeping area he found a lone Scyther sleeping against a tree. He approached it carefully and looked at it for a while; it had dark green skin colour, Bill's heart jumped in excitement when he realized that he found the leader, at a semi secluded place too! He kicked it lightly to wake it up.

"Wake up, you son of a bitch," he said to it, his voice shivering crazily again. It remained sleeping; he got a little nervous because of that he didn't know if the Scyther was pretending to sleep or not, that it would attack him if he tried to wake it up. He looked at it again and tried to get rid of his fear. _'C'mon, you kicked that other Scyther's rear end, Bill, get it together!'_

He gently patted it on its round shoulder, "C'mon, wake up," he repeated, a little more nicely. "I said, WAKE UP!" he almost shouted at it before kicking it harder, making it fall down from its sitting position against the tree. It woke up from the impact of his foot and quickly scrambled to its feet. It looked at him for a while before recognizing him.

'YOU!' it shouted, Bill noticed that its voice was darker than the last Scyther he'd met.

"Yeah, me," he replied, trying to stay calm, but got nervous when he saw the look in the Scyther's eyes. It was different from the other one he had faced.

'You really are an interesting one, barging into my territory, waking me up,' it stated angrily.

"I've got some bones to pick with you," was Bill's reply, yet he started to shiver in insecurity.

'Ah, I see, you've come to receive the gift from me,' it said, seeing the confused look on Bill's face, it added: 'Death, and I'm looking forward to that!'

"Don't be so sure on that…"

'Here you go again, challenging me,' it growled.

"Yup, and I'll taking you down!" This made the dark green Scyther chuckle.

'I tell you what, I'll let you do your move first, and I won't defend it in any way, but first,' it flew up on a branch, away from Bill's reach.

"Hey, get down here! I want to fight!" Bill demanded, but it ignored him. It took a deep breath and screamed.

'Scyytheers, wake up! INTRUDER!' it screeched, Bill had to cover is ears from the ear-splitting cry. When the noise had ended he found himself surrounded by Scythers who were ready to cut him up if he made the slightest movement. The leader jumped down from the branch and landed in front of Bill.

"You… you cheater! I should've suspected you'd do that!" Bill growled at the Scyther which had woken its minions up. It jumped down from the branch.

'On my grounds we play by my rules, GET HIM!' it ordered its minions as they charged towards Bill, who knew that this could be the end…

_**To Be Continued…

* * *

**_

A/N

So now trouble is stirring up for Bill, this is surely the beginning of a very long night. But this rewrite was complete, not much was changed here, except for deleted dialogues in the end of this chapter, and more depth in the gym battle.


	12. The Scyther Payback

_**Chapter 11**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon in any way…

Here's the explanation of various dialogues again, last update for a while.

"Normal talk"

'Pokémon talk.'

'_Thinking'_

"_Psychic talk"_

I hope it's not confusing!

'_There's no reset button like in the games…'_ – Bill Anderson's thought.

* * *

"**_The Scyther Payback"_**

In the last chapter, Bill had entered the forest again to face the leader of the Scythers for two reasons, the first one was that he had been attacked by it two times and the second one was that he had to rescue the Pikachu who had been taken away from his trainer, Pat. The second reason had angered him and made him more determined to get back at the Scyther. However, when he finally found it, it managed to call its friends who were now charging Bill.

Bill looked as the Scythers closed in to him, he had already regretted that he returned to the forest, and now they would turn him into ribbons. He didn't dare to move as the approached, he wouldn't stand a chance against them anyway. He waited for them to deliver the fatal blows, but as one of them was in striking range, it didn't slash at him, it grabbed his right arm using its both scythes holding it lightly, and another one did the same on his left arm.

They then held his arms stretched out and pulled them back a little, keeping him at bay, the other Scythers stopped charging and stood in a circle around Bill and the leader. The leader Scyther then walked towards him with an evil smile, showing its fangs.

'I think we have to cancel that match, human,' it said while it advanced. Bill knew he couldn't do anything but watch it approach him, if he even tried to get of the grip the Scythers who held him would only tighten it, hurting his arms even more. When the leader was close enough to strike it spoke again. 'But I had enjoyed it, while it lasted.'

"Bah! You're just too scared to fight me alone!" Bill spat out, trying to hide his fright. The leader was about to shout at the boy for his insolence but it hesitated, it hadn't realized until now that the boy seemed to understand what it was saying.

'Hmm, it seems that you understand what I'm saying, human, how come?' it asked him, looking away from him. It pondered for a while before turning to him again. 'You must be one of those humans who are gifted with being a psychic, right?'

"Maybe I am," he answered but he was cut off by the leader who signalled its minions.

'GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES!' it bellowed. Bill flinched at the sudden loud voice. 'When you're talking to me, human,' it finished, it didn't want to look up to the human just because he was taller than it; it wanted to look down on him. Bill refused to get down to his knees before the leader.

'Just do what he says,' the Scyther on his left side softly told him, 'so you can go home earlier.' Bill was confused by that, but he still didn't want to get down on his knees. The Scyther who held him looked at the other one and nodded. They both lightly kicked his hollows of the knees, causing him to fall down to his knees. They still had a firm grip on his arms though.

The leader seemed to be pleased looking down at Bill. 'You must think you're very… brave to face me once again, human, but there is a difference between of being brave or foolish. And you're definitely _very_ foolish, but I know that you're scared inside… that's right, human, I can smell the fear inside you so there's no use trying to hide it from me.' It sniffed the air twice. There was a silence after that, Bill wondered why the other Scythers remained quiet.

Then the leader broke the silence. 'Am I right?' Bill remained quiet, he was almost paralyzed with fear, and it was like he had forgotten that he was in Pokémon status. 'AM I RIGHT?' it shouted, waiting very impatiently for an answer. Bill flinched when it had shouted at him; he could actually feel his bladder sting, almost wetting himself in fright.

"N-no," he weakly squeaked as he looked down. The leader didn't seem happy of his answer, it snarled lightly at him, and then took one step forward.

'LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING TO ME!' it once again bellowed, even scaring some of its minions. Bill was, however, still too scared to look at it. The leader signalled the Scyther on his left side, who placed its scythe under his chin, forcing him to look at the leader.

'Just say yes, so this will be over with,' the same Scyther assured. Bill never understood why that Scyther said so, he'd be killed by the leader judging by its behaviour.

'You do not speak until you're spoken to!' the leader snarled at the Scyther.

'I'm just trying to give him some pieces of advice, leader,' it replied.

'SILENCE!' the leader bellowed. The Scyther who tried to comfort Bill stood tall, not saying anything more.

'Now,' the dark green Scyther began, brandishing its right scythe towards him, not hitting him but I held the tip of the scythe _very _close to his eye. Bill tried his best not to shake any more in fear, but just looking at the tip of its weapon almost made his heart skip a beat. 'I'm going to ask you once more, and if you don't give me the answer I want, you will find yourself missing an eye. Am… I… Right?' it asked again, sounding very tense to scare him further more.

"Y-y-yes, y-y-you're r-right then," he stammered. He couldn't believe it; here he was, captured by them, the Scythers. This plan had gone wrong, terribly wrong, and he was beginning to lack self-confidence. The leader grinned evilly as it removed the position of its scythe from in front of his eye to under the chin, scratching him lightly.

'Came to think about it, this time no… trainer-friend… of yours will help you out this time… now you're all alone, in the middle of the night,' it sneered, wanting Bill to lose all of his hope. Bill knew it was right, by now Jonathan was sleeping and even if he had followed him to the forest, he'd get lost in the dark anyway.

Tears of anger and fear began to fill his eyes, if he blinked the tears would roll down his cheeks, but he didn't want to show the Scythers that he was about to cry. Unfortunately, the leader noticed that his eyes were teary and that he resisted blinking.

'Aww, how cute, look at the little helpless human who's crying,' it teased, wanting to put him down as much as possible. Suddenly, Bill looked up to it and simply stared at it with pleading, teary eyes.

"Why d-did it have to b-be like this? W-why do you hate me so m-much?" he asked through his sobs, the leader glared at him for a while before answering.

'To begin with,' it said with a venomous tone. '…is that you were trespassing through _my_ territory some days ago and when you humiliated _me_!'

"But before I, humiliated you, you were still intended on killing me!" he protested.

'That was because of the insult you gave me! What was it you said now… oh yes, it was something like 'cut it out, wimp', wasn't it?'

"Well, yeah it was," he admitted.

'So, you're admitting that your insult started this whole mess?'

"What? Hell no! What I'm trying to say here, is that it was _you_ who started this mess! You're just sour about the humiliation I gave you, what was the humiliation anyway? It couldn't have been just that comment I gave you," he spat out, he had stopped crying. The Scyther, however, remained quiet for a while, glaring at Bill. Then it took a quick step forward and raised one of its weapons, narrowing its eyes.

'How DARE you to oppose me? It was YOU who started this!' It brought its weapon down, stopping right before the neck of Bill, who looked away in fear. It then leaned forward, closer to his face, 'you're in a very tough situation, human, don't try to anger me too much or…' It forced him to look at it, since it didn't like talking to someone who looked away, '…or I might kill you,' it said lowly to him.

"Okay, I get the message, just take away that thing from my neck, please!" he begged, he felt very uncomfortable having the scythe almost touching the side of his neck _and_ having the Scyther too close to him. Not that being with them was comfortable but this was too much.

'Okay, but only because you said please,' it said as it pulled back its scythe and returned to its usual position. 'About that humiliation you were wondering about, have you already forgotten that you somehow… outran _me_ out of the forest? That's impossible, and I swear, that I will find out how you did because I know that you can't outrun me!' it snapped, looking away for a moment before looking back at him, smiling smugly.

'Of course! Since you're a psychic, you teleported while you were ahead of me, didn't you?'

"Yes, that's right! That's what I did, smart thinking!" he lied, he knew he wasn't a psychic, and he didn't know how to teleport either. Okay, his Stop Watch was like a teleportation so it was a half lie at least.

'Good thing I found that out, now, if your eyes even as much glow, I'll kill you, you cheater!' it once again snapped. This time Scyther was right, he had cheated first time they met and it had the right to cheat back, well that's the way he saw it.

"Okay, I won't teleport away, promise! But, the second time I entered the forest with my friend, we stayed out your territory, and yet you attacked me. Why?" he wondered.

'Ah, yes, when I spotted you and your cursed friend while you were camping, my rage boiled, I couldn't believe that you'd return two days after our last encounter. It was like you thought I had forgotten about you!' it hissed.

"But I didn't want to go back into the forest!" he protested. "He forced me to!" His arms were getting tired of being stretched out for so long, but when he tried to get off the grip the two Scythers just tightened it even more causing it to hurt more.

'It's no use, cheater, the more you struggle the more they hurt you, and they won't let go of you until I tell them to.' It chuckled. 'But as I was watching you two, your friend ran away and I saw my chance, but I didn't take it. I assumed that you would call for him if I had appeared so I kept watching you until you had noticed me.'

"So, why did you run away?" asked Bill, he didn't understand why it had run away when it had the chance back then.

'Didn't I tell you that just a moment ago? The odds were high for you to call your friend!' it said, there was a pause again and there was silence once again. Then it narrowed its eyes and waved its right scythe at him. 'You should be aware of one thing, human, that I _spared_ your life that night, I could've killed you with one single swipe, but I didn't because-'

"That would be no fun at all, right?" he interrupted. _'You bloodthirsty, killing lunatic, '_ he thought afterwards. The leader remained silent for a moment before hissing angrily at him.

'Don't you ever interrupt me again, human, I'm warning you!' It pointed its scythe at him and looked at him menacingly. 'But you're right, human, even though I hate admitting that myself.'

'_Wow, looks like someone's really full of oneself!'_ he thought.

'The next day I decided to attack you, even if you were with your… friend,' it said with disgust when it said "friend". 'And I had you, and I liked seeing you afraid, until that friend of yours wanted to play hero and challenged _me_ on a battle. To make sure you wouldn't run away, or teleport, I made a nice cut right there,' it said, pointing at where his wound had been.

'But, your friend really did give me a refreshing battle, even though he snatched those two little meals right under my muzzle.' Bill remembered when the leader attempted to eat both Caterpie and Rattata, but had thankfully failed. 'But then that, treacherous little Ivysaur,' it growled with disgust, 'got me with those spores in the end. I have to admit your friend was honourable enough not to catch me.'

There was a short silence, the woods were different during the night, so quiet, and it was scary. He wondered why he didn't notice that before. Was it because he was surrounded by those beasts? Or was it that his life was on the line?

'In the end, when I was close to unconscious, I got you there, in the leg,' it said, referring to when it had stabbed him in the leg. It was astonished when it saw the wound was healed. 'What is this? How could a wound like _that_ heal that quickly on a human? That's not possible!' it blurted out, shocked.

"Actually, it is. They're testing a new form of prototype potion that works wonders on humans, and they're testing it on me. By the looks from the results, I'm pretty sure they're positive, don't you say?" All these lies that came out from his mouth, he knew they'd fall apart over time, and telling too many lies results forgetting the other, thus creating new lies.

'Really, so the humans are experimenting with new medicines? Interesting, human science has done it yet again, having invented a potion that works well on humans. Very impressive,' the leader said, very interested in what Bill had said.

"Yup, our intelligence greatly surpasses yours, I must say," he replied proudly. The mantis growled as it made some threatening swings in the air.

'But we're still superior to you when it comes to strength, speed, surviving and battle skills!' it snapped back. 'But I'm still very interested in that medicine, you don't happen to have a sample of it? I'd really like to study it,' the leader then gleefully, yet eagerly requested, wanting a sample, but Bill didn't have any, since the medicine didn't even exist.

'Dishonesty is something I loathe greatly, human, if you have a sample, give it to me, if not, tell my why you haven't got one,' it then snarled, obviously impatient.

Bill cursed under his breath for his lies but improvised nevertheless. "Well, I wasn't given any sample because-"

'…you lied from the very beginning,' the leader interjected, staring coldly, yet very deep into his grey eyes. Not wanting it to realize it had exposed his lie he tried to object to what it had said.

"No, no, no. The reason is that someone outside the hospital wanted to steal the sample, so they kept it in there instead."

'If that's true, I must say it's strange you're here without it, since it would really come in handy for you. But it's also a pity, now we might have to steal it, housebreaking isn't difficult for us, trust me. It's probably in that big building with the huge form of that cursed ball, isn't it?' it asked, referring to the PokéCentre building. He nodded. 'Good, then what's the name of the potion?'

Bill hesitated, he needed to come up with an easy, yet complicated name, which was hard. "I think it was called 'Potion Prototype Epsilon 53 Beta', or was it Upsilon?" That name was too long; he had already forgotten what he had said.

Tired of this meaningless potion ramble, the leader changed the subject. 'Even though your leg is healed, it won't help you anyway, even if you're psychic,' it stated, giving him a quick glance. 'But, you know,' it then continued, taking slow steps towards him, 'if you thought being a psychic would help you here then let me tell you this: even though you are a psychic, you can't defeat me, I'm too fast for you, I'll tear you to shreds if you even try to.'

The leader clasped his neck with its scythes lightly, holding him firmly. Bringing its head closer, it spoke, 'so, how does it feel? Are you happy now that you're here?' It forced Bill to nod by tilting its scythes up and down a little. It chuckled at the sight of the annoyed Bill.

"You know what, Scyther?" he began, his voice trembling. "Of all Pokémon I've ever met, you're the one with the worst breath ever!" he finished with a growl. He felt the two scythes clinch harder around his neck.

'I've had it with your witty comments, human!' it snapped back, letting go of his neck, taking a step back in the progress. 'You know very well what I am, and while you're here _now_, I demand the respect I deserve!' It raised it blade, ready to strike.

"Well then." Bill cleared his throat. "Oh, mighty leader of Viridian Forest, I request you to lie down on the ground so I can squash you like the worthless bug you are," he said insolently. He immediately regretted what he just said, but his panic had yet again turned into the same insane bravado.

A powerful blow hit his cheek, the leader had swatted him with the flat its scythe, and it hurt a lot. Another scythe forced his head to the leader again. 'It seems you're ready to die now, stupid human!' it said between the growls, it raised its deadly weapon one more time, preparing to strike again.

'Leader, stop it!' one Scyther yelled. The leader quickly turned around.

'WHO SAID THAT?' it bellowed, seeing everybody looking at the one who had spoken. 'Oh, you, you little human sympathizer,' it hissed, walking towards the now frightened mantis.

'You need to calm down, don't you-'

'Shut up, please,' the leader interjected. 'I know what I'm doing, don't worry. Now stay silent.' The leader kneed the Scyther in the stomach, the impact made it double over and cough due to the sudden loss of air. The leader chuckled at the stricken Scyther before going back to Bill. 'Now, where were we? Oh yes, before disposing of you, I need to know something, do any of the humans at the towns know you're here?' it asked.

Bill thought for a while, if he said yes, they would surely not kill him, but the odds of them raiding the city would rise. But if he said no they'd kill him, so what choice did he have? Either he would go back and get arrested a couple of days later, or he'd be killed now, a tough choice.

'I don't have all night, human, I want an answer NOW!' it demanded, suddenly raising its voice to hasten Bill.

Knowing that he shouldn't even hint on raiding a city he answered, "No, no one knows." The Scyther tilted its head in wonder.

'Really? Then that brings up another question: Why did you come here alone even if you knew how dangerous it is in here, especially in the night?'

Bill didn't want to answer that question, since he was wondering why he even went into that forest after all. "Eh," was all he managed to get out.

The leader sighed before speaking. 'Oh well, no answer is still considered as an answer. You really are an imbecile, I saw that first time we met. Too bad for you that you'll suffer the same fate as that rodent.' It leered at him, liking the sudden hock in his face. But Bill had remembered Pat's 'kidnapped' Pokémon.

"Why did you take him from her? Did you kill him?" he snarled, with a sign of anger in his voice.

'How did you now it was taken from a…?' it asked, wondering how the human could know that the yellow rodent's… trainer was a female, then it hit it. 'Don't say that, you came here to save it from us?' It took some steps away from him, turning to its fellow Scythers.

'Did you hear that? This human had come all the way here o save that rodent from us!' It started to laugh loudly, and some of the Scythers surrounding them started to laugh to a little.

"Did you kill him? ANSWER ME!' he demanded, his anger rising. The Scyther stopped laughing, but it still smiled.

'Aww, how sad,' it started, its voice dripping with overacted drama, 'the valiant human enters the forest aware of the danger awaiting him to save the little Pikachu, but alas, he wasn't… fast enough, and now he will meet his death.' It leered once again at him. 'You're pathetic!' it then wickedly spat out. Bill looked down in shame, it was right, he _was_ pathetic and there was no way he would get out of this mess…

…_no way out_...

'But,' it started, noticing he was losing hope, 'we haven't killed it… yet, but you won't even live until we do… since Iam going to kill you _here and now_!' When it finished that sentence, Bill looked up at it in pure terror. It grinned evilly as it slowly advanced towards him, he felt guilty of what was happening, his friends always told him his cocky attitude would lead to his demise.

The leader was now less than an arm length from him now and it waved its scythe in front of his face a little. 'Brace yourself of what's coming, human!' it sneered as it positioned its left scythe on the side of his neck while slowly raising the other, preparing to decapitate him, 'your _death!'_

'_I'm bracing myself of the end of the world, some chosen one I am,'_ he thought as he closed his eyes, waiting for the kill. He wondered why it took so long before it killed him. Was it hesitating? Did it wait for him to open his eyes? Does it really want to kill him?

_Or did the last seconds of life feel like minutes?_

'Leader, you're not going to kill him, are you?' the Scyther who held his left arm said. Bill opened his eyes to see the scythe that would've ended his life halfway from his neck. The leader looked at the Scyther who had spoken.

'Of course I am, is that a problem to you?' it carelessly spat back.

The Scyther who held his right arm brought its head closer to his ear. 'Don't worry, it'll be over soon, ok?' it assured him. 'Edge, can you hold him while I let go?' it told its fellow Scyther, which name was revealed. The Scyther let go of Bill's arm and Edge carefully grabbed placed his scythe to Bill's neck.

'Human, don't struggle now for your own good,' he told him, Bill assumed the Scyther was male due to his name. But what the other Scyther had said, "It'll be over soon", scared him, that sentence could have two meanings. The first one could be good, meaning he could go back, but the second… well a quick death would await him. He was still on his knees when he had Edge's scythe on his throat, so he wasn't in a good position to escape, if he tried to.

'Blade!' the leader called, obviously referring to the Scyther who had been trying to comfort Bill before, 'what is the meaning of this? I demand a good explanation of your behaviour!' it demanded.

Blade calmly walked up to the leader, bowing slightly, showing respect before speaking. 'Leader, you can end the threatening, let him go. Look at him, you've already scared him enough!' he concluded.

The leader walked away from Bill and beckoned Blade to come with it. 'Come here, let's speak over here,' it requested. Blade walked up to it, and waited for his leader to speak. 'Why do you sympathize with the human? He's in our territory, and he must pay for his intrusion!'

'If you punish him that way, we'll get the humans after us if they find out. And he's just a human, if you're about to sink so low to kill a defenceless human you're-'

'Defenceless? He challenged me before I woke you up!' the leader protested. From here, Bill finally realized what was happening: it was only the leader who seemed to have the urge killing him, and none of the other Scythers would agree to that. He knew he had to use this to his advantage, to survive.

"You're lying! I never challenged you! I came here for the Pikachu!" he shouted, still careful not to struggle too much. The leader looked at him at the instant he spoke with a rage in its eyes. Its breathing was so hard, it couldn't find the words, it, too, knew he had this advantage, and he was using it.

'See? He only came for that, killing him for that reason isn't enough!' Blade stated, but the leader didn't listen, it still gazed at Bill, its face twisted in anger.

'You, you Ekans-tongued human!' it growled at Bill, turning back to Blade. 'Can't you see he's lying, Blade?' the leader objected, taking various growling breaths, failing its attempts to calm down.

'Leader, you're confused, you haven't gotten any sleep lately,' stated Blade.

'Of course not!' the leader shot back, 'humans are strolling through our territory whenever they want!'

'Only one human did that this day, and that was the female we took the Pikachu from,' he countered.

"Why did you take him from her anyway? Wasn't that too much, too?" Bill asked, seizing the opportunity to know about that.

Blade turned to Bill, and then looked at his comrade, 'Edge, you explain to him.' He then resumed arguing with the leader.

Edge started to speak lowly in Bill's ear. 'You see, when that rodent fought us, he almost killed Amethyst, who stands over there.' He briefly released the grip around the neck and pointed at on of the Scythers, who looked at the quarrel between Blade and the leader. Edge quickly placed his scythe to the neck again. 'You know, to us that's a crime, and we don't like it when Pokémon, ordered by humans or not, seriously harm us.'

"Oh, I see," said Bill, suddenly remembering what he did to that other Scyther this night. A chill ran down his spine in fright, scared if they'd find that out.

'Something wrong, human?' Edge inquired, 'You're shivering.'

"Oh, I'm freezing," he quickly retaliated, a little too quickly though, since it wasn't close to cold this night, and Edge hummed suspiciously. "No, I meant that, thinking of how your leader would kill me, that gave me the shivers," he quickly excused.

'You don't have to worry much, after the leader is calmed down, you can go home. But that is only if you truly are innocent, human.' There was a touch is suspicion in the voice of the Scyther. Bill slowly looked over his shoulder, only to stare right into the eyes of the mantis Pokémon. The sigh of the fierce, jet black pupils almost made him jump in fright, it seemed like Edge studied him.

Meanwhile, the quarrel between Blade and the leader was getting more savage. 'Leader, we have attacked too many humans lately, we need to take a break!' he slightly growled.

'Why? They keep intruding!' the leader promptly objected.

'Then let them! You'll get us killed otherwise if you kill that human!'

'No other human knows he's here, we could hide the body, the forest is big after all,' the leader suggested. Blade looked at it in disgust before continuing.

'How long would that last then? The humans know each other, and his friends will find out sooner or later.'

'Well, if they do, we dispose of them as well.' There was a sign of madness in the leader's voice.

Blade looked down before speaking, his body was trembling in anger. 'Leader, you know why I escaped from Fuchsia, that's because I wanted to get away from what's about to happen here, I can't take it.'

'Blade, listen to me, and you listen to me well. It really surprises me that you come from Fuchsia, I'm surprised you passed the test of joining this swarm. I heard they're pretty tough over there, but I think you're lying, since you are such a coward. You didn't escape, you were thrown out, you outcast!' it snarled.

'Shut up, that's not true' he demanded quietly, looking down, but the leader kept on.

'You're like him over there,' it said, pointing at the Scyther it had kneed before, 'you're always reluctant to do something, fun. Or is it, that you want that human as your… trainer?' it guessed, smiling.

'Firzé, SHUT UP!' Blade roared, still looking down. The leader, whose name seemed to be Firzé, went silent, his mouth open and eyes that showed sudden shock of the disrespect he had received. It was silent and they stood still before Firzé made his move. He slapped Blade across the face, the other Scyther quickly retaliated by slashing at the leader. Firzé simply brought up his weapon and deflected the oncoming attack easily, this enraged Blade, slashing with his other scythe. That one was blocked with the same scythe.

'Blade, Blade, Blade, for an ex-Fuchsia Scyther you're weak, no wonder why you couldn't handle things back there,' said Firzé, pushing his opponent to the ground without effort. Having downed the Scyther, he had his scythe before Blade's face. 'But you're still as feisty as one, yet not as… barbaric,' he finished, raising his scythe.

Blade knew he didn't have enough time to evade the oncoming strike, he waited for it to come. Firzé brought his weapon down viciously, hitting the ground right next to Blade. The lying mantis let out a sigh when he noticed he still lived.

'That, Blade,' Firzé hissed, 'was your final warning. If you ever do that once more, you're nothing other than Fearow meat.'

Bill had watched the whole show, but didn't understand most of it. "What did he do wrong?" he asked.

'He called leader by his name, it' very disrespectful to do so.' By a reflex, Bill tried to push the scythe around his neck away, which caused Edge to growl. 'I said keep STILL!'

"But I don't like you having the sharp edge to my neck, uhm, Edge," protested Bill, the Scyther tightened his grip, obviously annoyed.

'I'm just doing what I'm told to,' the Scyther replied, his behaviour had quickly changed from being calm to more tense.

"But you don't have to threaten my life by holding your scythe to my neck!"

'Please, none of that whining, and as I said, I'm following orders,' Edge told him, pulling him back so he fell to the ground. 'Now will you keep still?' Bill nodded, being in a sitting position with one scythe ready to slit his throat and the other one a little too close to his head.

'Firzé,' one Scyther said, stepping forward, 'have you forgotten the most important in our laws?'

Firzé quickly turned around to see who had spoken, but smiled slightly when he saw who it was. 'And what, Lozi, is that?'

The other Scyther, Lozi, who also seemed as tall as the leader, gave him a look of wonder. 'You know very well what I'm talking about! You know that killing a human is one of the most dishonourable things you can do!'

'If you ever knew what he has done to me,' replied Firzé, snarling when he glanced at Bill.

'Seriously, what could've he had done to you? What you claim has happened is preposterous, Firzé!'

'How do you know that? You weren't there!'

'Firzé, no one was there, since it probably never happened! You have nothing to prove that it happened!' Lozi almost yelled.

"Hey, Edge," Bill whispered to the Scyther, "how come your leader didn't get pissed when that Scyther called him by his name?" He didn't say Firzé, since that would've upset Edge more, something he didn't want.

'That's Lozi, he's the second in command of the leader. He's strong enough to have the privilege of calling him by his name.'

"Him, he, his. Is everybody in this swarm male? Aren't there any females, or is it that you're homos?" he asked, accidentally letting his bad humour flow out. He felt the grip around his neck tighten slightly.

'Watch your tongue, human,' Edge hissed in his ear, 'you should think before you say something, or you might have to leave without your tongue, is that what you want?' Bill shook his head. 'Good, now, for the answer for you question, there are females too, but not that many. They are Amethyst, who stands over there, Melanite, who stands next to her, Amber who leans to that tree,' he tallied.

Before he mentioned the fourth one, he let out a sigh; his calmness was coming back as he relaxed. 'And to save the best to the last, there's Vanilla, cutest of them all.' He kept his dreamy gaze towards the Scyther who stood somewhere in the ring. Edge's behaviour had turned into a more lovesick one, 'Have you seen anyone more beautiful than her?' he said, his grip on Bill had loosened.

"Well, it's hard for me to tell them apart since, first, it's a little dark, secondly, I'm not a Scyther. And your choice of names are so lame," explained Bill.

The deadly embrace around his neck tightened again, and Edge's behaviour turned back into the tense one. 'We only made up those names so we can tell us apart by them, it'd be sort of stupid if we all had the same name you refer us to!' he snapped back, bringing the other scythe to his neck.

He brought his head close to Bill's left ear. 'And if you ever insult a saint like her in my earshot, you'll regret it, human, you will experience the worst possible things you can imagine if you badmouth her, and it isn't death I'm talking about!' he whispered, hissing in the progress. Bill flinched when the air tickled his ear.

"But, as a matter of fact, one can only be declared a saint when one is dead!" Upon saying this, Edge turned more hostile than he was before. The scythes were very close to slitting his throat.

'Human, I begin to understand why leader hates you, with your repertoire of witty comments and all. Why won't you do yourself a favour and keep those comments inside you instead of blurting them out?' suggested Edge, growing annoyed of Bill.

Bill cursed his bad humour and bravado, now he had made another enemy. Knowing that it isn't good to have an enemy holding a deadly grip around his neck, he tried to get on Edge's good side. "Well, heh, if I look at in from your perspective I understand why you like Vanilla. You see, I like vanilla too, the flavour of course, sweet and creamy. Is that what she's like?" he said.

Edge sighed. 'Look, I can easily see you're sucking up now, please don't do that. I'm in a mood right now!'

"Are you and Vanilla an item?" continued Bill, not listening to what the Scyther had said. He received a growl from the Scyther, regretting that he didn't stay silent. But then Edge removed one of his scythes and patted Bill on his shoulder.

'Forgive me for my behaviour, human, but that's mostly because she doesn't show any interest in me, she's always taking care of Blade, Plum and Ace.' Edge made a grimace. 'She says she doesn't have time with me, since those three guys always gets harassed by the leader. They're pretty weak, and I'm stronger than them, much stronger.'

"But they're probably young, aren't they?" guessed Bill. "She's just giving them guidance and explaining how to do things, and such."

'Why would you know? You don't know anything, so don't even try to guess, human!' Edge growled. 'Only Ace is young, he really needs guidance. Heck, tonight was his first time as a sentry, which probably explains why you got past him. Poor kid, must've fallen asleep, maybe he was too young.' Edge chuckled, imagining the sight of that Scyther sleeping.

Bill, however, used all of his willpower to keep a straight face. If the Scyther was the one he encountered earlier was Ace, he'd be toast if they found out. Edge, fortunately didn't notice that Bill had gotten nervous.

'And Blade, well, he's new to the swarm, joined two weeks ago. Surprises me why the leader accepted him, maybe because he might possess some knowledge about Fuchsia, oh well.' Bill didn't have a clue of what Edge was talking about, but if he got out of here alive, he knew that it would be good to stay away from Fuchsia, wherever that was located.

'And Plum, well, Plum has always been Plum, heh,' he muttered.

"What about him?" Bill inquired.

'You don't want to know,' he suddenly snapped, 'why do you care?'

"Just curious."

Edge looked at him suspiciously before giving him a smug reply. 'Curiosity killed the Meowth, human, I'm tired of your rambling. Stay silent now or I'll ask for the leader's permission to cut off your tongue, unless he desires to do so himself.' Bill closed his mouth, taking that piece of advice.

'HUMAN!' bellowed Lozi, who had been trying to get Bill's attention. 'I'm talking to you! I asked you why you didn't take Firzé's advice first time you met him, seeing that you understand our speech?'

Bill knew he could make up a lie, but the odds were low, but then he didn't have much to lose. "What do you mean? First time I met him he flat out attacked me! _Outside_ your territory!" Lozi's eyes widened when he turned to the leader.

'Firzé, is it true that you attacked him outside the territory?'

Firzé glared at Bill, knowing that he had lied once again. 'You… you were in the territory the first time! Don't deny it, it was the second time you weren't there!' he yelled furiously.

"You're lying!" he promptly objected, knowing that Firzé would see through him. "The only time I met you was with my friend! And then we weren't as close to your territory!"

'LIAR!' Firzé bellowed, advancing towards Bill. He was interrupted when a scythe was placed on his shoulder. 'WHAT?' he screamed, turning around.

'Firzé, listen, for being a leader I'm quite disappointed, how can you attack a human when he's _outside_ the territory, posing absolutely no threat of catching one of us?' Lozi sternly asked.

'But he's lying, Lozi! Why do you believe something like _him_ more than me? I am your leader!'

'Firzé, you really need some sleep, your confused, that's why I believe the human,' stated Lozi.

'But imagine what we could do with him, we could, you know.' The dark green Scyther licked his fangs, but Bill didn't see that. 'He looks pretty fresh,' he said lowly.

Lozi gave him a look of disgust. 'You can't be serious! Look, he's human, pure human! If we do something like that we'll regret it! How can you come up with something like that?'

Firzé smiled evilly. 'It's for the swarm's best, Lozi.'

'You just sounded exactly like the ones in Fuchsia,' Blade weakly said. Firzé was about to strike the opposing Scyther when Lozi stepped in front of him.

'Firzé, Blade's right, if you as much as open a wound on that human, you can consider yourself as an outcast from this swarm, even if you're the leader.' But Firzé wasn't listening, he kept glaring at Blade.

'Blade, you, you outcast! You've never been in Fuchsia! You don't know what you're talking about!' he snarled. Blade covered his face with his scythes, clearly scared of Firzé.

'FIRZÉ!' Lozi yelled, 'I'm talking to you! If you intend to do what you're about to do, you can join those Fuchsia barbarians! Is that human worth it? Are you going to sacrifice your position for that human? None of us are with you on this, this is plain wrong! Let him go, you've played around with him for long enough!'

Firzé stood there, staring into nothing. It was completely silent, only Firzé's breathing was heard. All of the Scythers were looking at him, waiting for him to speak. Then he swallowed once, inhaling some air to speak.

'M-maybe you're right, Lozi, killing him isn't worth it. After all, he's just a worthless human who can't defend himself!'

'Good,' said Lozi, 'then will you let him go?' Firzé nodded, walking to Bill.

'Human, you don't know how lucky you are,' he spat, 'but I know your lies will lead you to your own demise.' A chill ran down Bill's spine. Firzé decided to get to the point. 'But you're free to go, we won't bother you anymore this night. But you have been warned, human, if you ever come back, whether it be in the next two days or next month, nothing will save you from me, you got that?' Bill nodded, gulping once.

He was free, of course he'd come back, but then he'd be much stronger and then… The thought of the Pikachu came up in his head. "What about the Pikachu? What will-"

'That doesn't concern you!' the dark green Scyther snapped. 'Edge, release him!' he then ordered, still glaring at Bill. Edge let go of Bill and let him stand up freely, Bill liked moving his arms and body freely after being held 'captive' for a while.

'Amber, escort him out of the forest! Or he'll probably get lost,' Firzé commanded one of his minions; Amethyst stepped forward and beckoned Bill to follow.

'Come here,' she softly said. 'You first so I can keep my eye on you.'

Bill walked towards the Scyther who had beckoned him, but when he was about to pass Firzé, he shuddered, he knew the leader was reluctant about this, and he saw that he stared at him intensively. He didn't dare to look away from Firzé's ice cold gaze of hatred.

'What are you looking at, you Ekans-tongued human?' Firzé asked bitterly just as Bill passed. He didn't answer right away, he wanted some distance.

"Uh, nothing," he absentmindedly answered, turning his back at the leader, heading to the one who was going to escort him out.

He felt something ram him powerfully from behind, he fell face first to the ground, completely taken off guard. Firzé had kicked him from behind, unable to hold back his rage, but he didn't do anything more, fortunately.

'So I'm nothing, huh?' he growled furiously, the face was twisted in anger. 'You're not worth it, and you'll never be that either. Take him away!'

Bill and Amber walked to the direction of Pewter, with Bill in the lead, so Amber could make sure he didn't try to sneak away. When they both were out of sight of the other Scythers, the leader began to sulk.

'Lozi, I can't believe how you could favour such a… a creature! He's so full of lies!' he exclaimed but Edge then stepped in.

'Leader, calm down, we have more important matters to care about!'

Firzé turned to him, looking at him like I he was an intruder too. 'Like what Edge? Like what?' he hissed.

Edge took a step backwards before answering. 'You know, Ace must have fallen asleep, and we should better find him before another group of predators finds him.'

'Other predators?' Firzé scoffed. 'It's not like Rattatas and Spearow pose a threat, Edge.'

'But he's just a kid! And if they're many he's done for!' Edge protested.

'I don't want him dead!' Amethyst, the female Scyther said. 'If my kid is just a little hurt I'll kill every single of the species that did it to him!'

'Hey, Amethyst, calm down, we will find him, don't worry,' Lozi ensured, 'Hey, Firzé, should we start searching?' he asked Firzé.

'Yeah, whatever,' he replied, muttering profanities under his breath about that human, while walking away along with the swarm to search after Ace.

_**To be continued…

* * *

A/N**_

Well, another chapter split, to you previous readers. Sometimes I even amaze myself, is this too wordy? Well, I hope you liked this version better than the older one. And if there is something I've made wrong tell me that, you cowards!

Can someone burst my bubble and give me the most harsh and honest criticism? It's needed, thank you!


	13. Finally Free?

_**Chapter 12**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon! This is the last disclaimer!

Well, seeing my story made a (cough) comeback, in some way, I hoped to the least people would point that out. The 'lost' chapters are coming up, they are being rewritten so it shouldn't take that much time.

First off, I missed the deadline with one hour and ten minutes, my apologizes.

I actually deleted a review, the harsh one… visit my Profile Page to learn the truth, just don't mention it in the review.

Other than that, I feel the updating time will be shorter now, seeing I worked with rewriting the first eleven chapters since October.

Dialogue Key.

"Normal talk"

'Pokémon talk, that Bill understands'

'_Thinking'_

And of course some people may find it annoying with these dialogue glossaries but this isn't so confusing, is it?

'Your screams in pain and agony, they are like music to my ears' – Firzé, leader of the Scyther swarm

"**_Finally Free?"

* * *

_**

Bill and Amber were walking through the dark forest. Bill had been freed, and very eager to get out of the forest as soon as possible. Amber, a female Scyther, was behind him to make sure he didn't get lost, after all, he had been forced out, and he getting lost would only result accidentally going into the territory again.

Amber decided to break the silence. 'Eager to get out, aren't you, human?'

"Yeah, very," replied Bill, not turning to look at her.

Amber didn't mind him not doing that, so she continued. 'You should be,' she said. 'Why did you put your life on the line for just a rat?' she asked, 'I'm eager to know about that.'

Bill stopped walking and turned around. He was about to speak when Amber raised one of her scythes.

'You don't have to stop, human, you can talk while walking. I don't require eye contact when you speak to me, unlike Firzé.'

Bill resumed to his walking. "Thanks for that. Anyway, you see, I like to live dangerously," he claimed, only to hear a light cough from the Scyther.

'You? Like to live dangerously? Human, did you think you'd stuff something like that into me? You were weeping openly back there, for your life!' she spat, 'you should be very thankful that Lozi convinced Firzé to let you go.'

"Yeah, guess I owe him pretty much for that," he said. "How come that Firzé agreed with Lozi?" he then asked. He didn't get an answer right away, which scared him slightly, and he heard the steps behind him close up. When he felt something pointy prod him in the back, he yelped in surprise.

'Human, be careful when telling our leader by his name, you're just a human, and a human telling him by his name would enrage him. And performing such an act before him would lead to your death.'

"Oh, really, but he isn't here now so it doesn't matter, right, Amber?" he stated, telling the Scyther by her name. He had, strange enough, memorized almost all of the Scythers' names. He heard her sigh in annoyance, obviously not liking him, a human, telling her by her name.

'Human, there's no need for you telling my name, they're only meant for ourselves telling us apart via them.'

"Thanks for the little lesson, Amber, but I already know that, Edge told me," Bill promptly exclaimed, only to receive a groan from the Scyther yet again.

'I told you that there's no need to-'

"Does it really matter? How come you're offended by that anyway?" he interjected.

'Those names are only to be used by us, human!' she snapped, 'And you're not one of us, and therefore you may not call us by our names. To you, we are, and always will be referred as 'Scythers', unless you don't give us those clichéd names when you capture us!'

Bill looked at her, trying to register what she had said. "Well, sorry then, Am-, er, Scyther, but Edge never seemed to mind about that."

She didn't reply to that, she ushered him to resume to his waking, and so he did. The walked through the dark forest and were heading for the exit of the forest, located near Pewter.

* * *

The group of Scythers were walking in another part of the forest, quite far from where Bill and Amber were. They searched for Ace, a Scyther who had been assigned to keep a watch around the territory, whom they had suspected had fallen asleep.

'Darn it!' Edge exclaimed, kicking a nearby tree, hurting his own foot. 'At this pace we'll never find Ace, excuse the rhyme.'

'Be patient, Edge, Sharp might soon pick up a trail of him,' said Melanite, referring to a Scyther whose sense of smell was the sharpest in the swarm.

'Well, it better be quick, since if he has fallen asleep, a group of Rattatas or Spearows might find him. He's just a kid, you know, he's not a very good fighter at all,' Lozi stated, slightly worried of the Scyther they were seeking.

Firzé wasn't paying much attention, he still cursed that human for his lies and such. During his own thinking, he accidentally walked into a tree. He roared and stabbed the tree with his scythe, taking a few heavy breaths.

'Um, leader,' a Scyther said, a little smaller than the rest, 'try to calm down a bit.'

Firzé gave the Scyther a look of kill before pulling out the scythe from the tree. 'Plum, don't even try giving me any advice, GOT IT? Don't even speak to me this night!' he shouted, forcing Plum backwards before continuing the search.

Plum walked over to one of the Scythers, and whispered into its ear. 'Hey, Vanilla, he really is a walking time bomb, ready to explode any second.' The other Scyther giggled a little, patting Plum's back.

'Hey, Plum, don't talk ill about the leader now, okay?' she whispered back, 'he really isn't in the mood.'

'Okay,' replied Plum. Both Scythers ran up to catch up with the others. 'So, what do you think? Do you think he's fallen asleep?'

'Probably,' Vanilla replied, 'he was too young to be on guard duty, probably exhausted him, or he was certainly bored.'

'Hey!' Sharp exclaimed. 'I think he's been here! And I'm pretty sure he went that way!' He walked to the almost opposite way they had been heading, indicating that Ace had been around here. When he passed Plum he intentionally bumped into him, pushing him down to the ground. 'Watch where you're standing, shorty!' he sneered before continuing.

'Stupid Sharp,' Plum grumbled, getting up and catching up with the others again.

* * *

"How far is it? I'm getting tired," whined Bill, having walked in the forest for a while.

Amber sighed. 'Human, can you quit the complaining, it get rather tedious! If you made your way into the forest, you should very well make it out of the forest to.' She emitted a quick loud sigh, tired of Bill's meaningless comments.

"But how come it takes such long time? I'm pretty sure this isn't the way I came from."

'Oh, really? Then you should be aware that this is the quickest way to the civilization you want to go to!' she barked.

"Gee, can't you be a little bit nicer? Are you always like that?" he asked, only to receive utter silence for a moment.

'Don't give me any orders, human!' she suddenly shouted. 'Do you think I'm doing this voluntary? Have you any idea how much my dignity is hurt by leading something like you out of the forest just because you're incompetent enough that you can't find your way out by yourself?' It was clear she was getting pissed, really pissed.

Bill stopped walking, he didn't answer, since he knew both already knew the answer anyway.

'I said: Keep… WALKING!' she then bellowed, shoving him forward with her scythes. He tripped and fell down face first on the ground. 'Get up, get up!' she snarled.

"Okay, okay! Take it easy!" Bill replied as he scrambled to his feet, and resumed his walk. _'Bitch,'_ he thought darkly afterwards.

* * *

He was completely defenceless, he had trouble getting up and his head was aching. His scythes weren't good for battling yet, still a little too soft. He should have left that human, or whatever it was, alone. He was surrounded by about eight Rattatas which couldn't wait to kill him and eating all the meat they could find in him.

Of course they were aware that he was just a kid, but that just made it better; kill them while they're young and weak. When they can't do any severe damage. Whether they'd do it for survival or revenge was beyond him, he didn't care much more. His wing was useless, it was broken by the hands of that psychotic human, and that wretched creature had _enjoyed_ it! And he who had been looking forward to guard the grounds for the first time!

Now he was in a pickle, if he even tried to scream after help those purple rodents would jump him, and he could stand up. He watched as one of them approached, sniffing his wounded body, deciding where to attack. In an act of desperation, he swatted it with his scythe when it came close, it didn't do any damage, but it made the rat retreat.

But then two more attacked, going for his scythes, they weighed down both of them so he couldn't move them. Now more of them approached, knowing he was kept at bay by those two weighing down his scythes. When of them pounced at him he fell back on his broken wing, he cringed and whined under the pain when the purple rodent eagerly walked up to his face.

But just as it was about to sink its fangs into his neck, a green blur zoomed past it. The look in the rat Pokémon's eyes were completely empty, blood trickled down the left tip of its mouth before it fell limp on the ground, dead. The rest of the Rattatas made a hasty retreat, only a few made it, and the rest of them were killed.

One of the figures revealed itself, a Scyther. They had found him and saved his life from those rodents. The biggest of them slowly walked up to him, a look of disappointment in its face.

'Ace,' Firzé began, his voice scornful. 'How could you sink so low to let yourself be beaten by those, those filthy creatures?' he growled, spitting at one of the Rattata carcasses.

Vanilla walked up to him, kneeling down besides him. 'But, leader, can't you see he's badly hurt?' The leader scoffed and walked away, leaning against a nearby tree.

'Hey, Ace, buddy. Are you okay?' inquired Blade, 'did those Rattatas do that to you?' He was referring to the light crack on his forehead.

'N-no!' was Ace's weak reply.

'Ace, I told you that you shouldn't have been guarding the territory, you're too young,' he then stated, trying to lift Ace to his feet. But doing so only caused Ace to scream in pain.

'Blade, wait! It's something wrong with his wing!' Plum exclaimed. Sharp stomped forward and shoved Plum aside, checking the wing.

He gasped when he realized what was wrong with it, 'It's broken,' he stated, looking very upset. 'And the crack here on your forehead is, fortunately for you, nothing serious.'

'What Pokémon did this to you, my child? What, soon to be dead, Pokémon attacked you while you slept?' asked Amethyst, very shaken by this.

'I never slept,' Ace replied, still as weakly as before.

'You didn't, eh?' Firzé spat from a distance, not caring to much at all. 'Then you were just weak!' he scoffed.

Amethyst ignored Firzé's comment and continued asking Ace. 'Was it the Beedrill that did this to you? Don't say that you fooled around in their territory!'

'No, I didn't!' the injured Scyther promptly replied, but didn't get enough time to continue his answer.

'It was Spearows, wasn't it?' the female Scyther then suggested.

'Bah, probably a Caterpie, or why not even a Magikarp while we're at it! Face it, Ace, you're weak, and worthless!' Firzé snapped. Amethyst's head snapped around, eyeing a leering Firzé fiercely.

'Take that back, leader!' she threatened, only to receive a scoff from the dark green Scyther. 'Don't dare to speak like that to my child, especially not when he's injured! He could've died!'

'And what will you do about it?' he smugly replied, crossing his scythes. Amethyst exploded and charged towards Firzé, bringing her blade towards his throat. He simply blocked, the blades clashed loudly upon impact. She struck again, only to be blocked again. Firzé took offence, he started to slash at her, while she tried to parry the blows.

Shortly, Firzé overpowered her, pushing her against the tree with both scythes. He then held her firmly there, gazing into her eyes. 'No respect, disgraceful,' he growled.

'It, it was a human,' Ace managed to get out. Firzé quickly turned his attention to him, and so did all of the other Scythers, even Amethyst.

'I beg your pardon, Ace?' Firzé asked, wanting to know if he had heard right. He let go of Amethyst and walked towards Ace.

'Why, you don't care,' said Ace, looking away. Firzé approached him and knelt down beside him, his demeanour had changed to 'not caring' to 'very interested'.

'Of course I do care, Ace, such an injury can't be looked at lightly, and the one causing it will pay, right?' he said, his voice was full of pretended sympathy, but Ace bought it.

'That stupid, wicked human,' Ace grumbled.

'A human, you say? What do you mean with that? Did he use his… slaves to defeat you and then just walked away?' Firzé's interest was high; this was too much of a coincidence to be true.

Ace, however, remained silent. He knew that Firzé would be mad with him for losing to a human like he did.

'Hey, Ace, speak up, I won't get mad,' asserted Firzé. But Ace didn't speak, the shame was too much for him to bear. It didn't take very long until he started to cry softly.

Upon hearing him sob, Amethyst rushed up to him. 'Leader, may I take care of this?' she asked, still glaring at him. Firzé stood up and returned the glare calmly, and stepped away. She walked to him and knelt down right before Ace, placing the flat of her scythe at his cheek. 'Poor Ace,' she cooed. The young Scyther's sobs began to stop, and he calmed down.

'It hurts, he broke it,' he groaned, drawing heavy breaths to avoid any unnecessary screaming. 'I… I thought I was g…going to d-die.' Amethyst gave him a careful motherly embrace, hushing him.

'But you aren't, are you? But you were very lucky, my child, you need to be careful with humans,' she whispered softly. Ace sighed as he rested his head on his mother's shoulder. 'Can someone get one or two potions from the stash?' she then demanded, not moving from the position she were in.

'Yeah,' Blade stepped in, 'I'll do it, but do you think it'll help?'

'Of course it'll help!' Amethyst hissed, 'Those are made by humans, they're used for situations like this!' Blade quickly nodded as he darted away to get some of the potions.

'Hey, Blade!' Edge shouted, 'Wait up, I'll come too!' He darted away to the same direction, hoping to catch up with the other Scyther.

'Don't worry,' asserted Amethyst, 'you'll be fine.' Other Scythers had been closing up to take a look at Ace's wing, the way it angled up ward was sickening, it was almost split in half. Firzé, however, had had enough of all the cooing of Ace, he was still eager to know what that human did.

'Okay, Ace, I'm asking you once more, what kind of servants did that human use?' he started.

Ace, who had regained hope as his pains were a little soothed thanks to Amethyst's comfort, decided to explain. 'Well, uh, he,' he hesitated, no one would probably believe him.

'Come on, Ace, we need to know what kind of force he uses so we can plan the revenge later.'

Ace swallowed once before speaking, 'He… he didn't have… any companions,' he said quietly. Firzé pretended to be surprised, he now knew this had to be the same human.

'What?' he exclaimed, still pretending to be surprised.

'He… he… I encountered him, thinking that he was an intruder, and I, he challenged me… and did this.' He was scared, he thought that the leader would go into a rage when he heard this, but he didn't, which surprised Ace.

'Oh, I see. Did he, in any way, converse with you?' Firzé asked eagerly, this was certainly going his way.

'Y-yes, he did. Quite an unusual human to me, understanding what I said,' Ace replied, not getting the hint that Firzé must have met this human.

'Mm-hmm, for the final question then: How did he look like?'

Ace took a deep breath, trying to remember. 'Well, hmm, he was faintly red on the upper side, and bluer on the lower. On the top of his head he had this, brown fur, with weird yellow stripes.' Firzé gazed at him, it slowly turned into a glare, which scared him. 'I'm s-sorry, leader, I-I must've been ca-careless,' he whimpered, gulping once after he had spoken.

Firzé jumped up to his feet, still glaring, but not at Ace, he glared at what seemed to be nothing. 'Lozi,' he slowly said. 'Come here.'

The Scyther slowly walked up to the leader, looking down. 'Firzé, if I could explain-'

'Silence,' Firzé interjected coldly, he fixated his ice cold glare at Lozi, and then looked at the rest of the Scythers. 'Lozi, and the rest of you, when we had that human, he lied to get away, he lied,' he started. 'LIED!' he suddenly yelled at Lozi, who flinched.

'But, Firzé, how would I know?' he argued, still showing fear for his leader.

Firzé completely ignored what Lozi said. 'I told you he challenged me, but you said I was confused! Everything he claimed was lies, do you hear me Lozi?' The dark green Scyther swiped at the other Scyther, who blocked with both scythes. 'LIES!'

'He claimed you attacked him outside the territory, was that true?' asked Amethyst.

'Well, that's true, but that was the second time we met! The first time he had already challenged me! This human is not normal! Look what he did to that kid! Breaking his wing and almost cracked the skull, he's not worthy living!'

'But, leader, isn't Amber escorting him out of the forest?' Sharp stated. Firzé's head quickly turned to look at him.

The look in Firzé's eyes was empty at a sudden. '…no.' He raised his scythes up in the air. 'NO! I won't let him get away after doing something like that! They shouldn't have made it out yet! We need to find them before he does something to her!' he told them, knowing that if that human made it out, he'd be too hard to find if he even made it into that rock town. Rock Pokémon were very strong against his kind, so it would be pointless to try and find him in there, and irresponsible.

'So, we should spread out or something?' suggested Sharp.

Firzé looked at him, nodding. 'Exactly! But we need to hurry! The rock city is located over there.' He pointed at a direction, 'we should get there before she leads him out! Amethyst, you stay here and watch over Ace, just in case those Rattatas come back!' With that, Firzé took off, leaving Amethyst with Ace.

'Don't worry, my child,' Amethyst assured, comforting Ace. 'That human will be taken care of.'

Then Blade and Edge arrived, they each had a bottle of potion in their mouths.

'Couldn't you guys find a better way of carrying those?' Amethyst asked rather drably, carefully letting Ace go.

Edge spat out the bottle on his right scythe before he spoke. 'Well, we thought that it was a little too hard to carry them with our blades while flying!' he retorted, handing the potion bottle to Amethyst.

'Hmm, this sure is tricky stuff,' Blade mused when he walked up to Ace, trying to find a good way to spray the liquid on the injured Scyther.

'Let me do that, Blade, I know how it's done!' Amethyst said as she carefully sprayed the content on Ace's wings.

'Ouch, that hurt!' Ace yelped.

'Hey, Edge,' Amethyst then said, 'the others are looking for that human, it was he who did this!'

Edge went wide eyed, he put two and two together, that was why the human went nervous when he mentioned Ace. 'Which way?' he darkly asked. Amethyst pointed to where the others had left. He nodded as he turned to Blade, who was still fumbling with the potion. 'Blade, are you coming?'

'No, I'd rather stay here and watch over Ace with Amethyst,' he replied, his attention was still on that bottle. 'Ah! Stupid bottle,' he mused. Edge sighed and took off.

* * *

"Hey, Scyther, look, I'm sorry, right?" Bill excused while they were walking, his feet were starting to ache a little.

'You know, human, it's a little too late for apologies now. But tell me one thing: Why did you enter the forest, you failed anyway,' Amber said menacingly.

"Well, uh, I don't really know, maybe I just had nothing to do,' replied Bill.

'What? So you decided to barge into our territory, and waste my precious time escorting you out? What do you think you are?' she angrily asked.

"That I'm human," was Bill's obvious reply.

Amber sighed in irritation. 'Well, it seems I won't hear anything wise from you from now on, but one last question: While you were 'venturing' in our territory, did you encounter a smaller Scyther?'

Bill didn't answer right away, he began to get nervous about what he did to that young Scyther earlier, and he didn't even know it was young in the beginning. He heard Amber growl as she suddenly sped ahead of him, stopping him with her scythes.

'Answer my question, human!' she snarled. 'You're not going anywhere until you answer my question!'

Bill began to sweat in anxiety, his heart began to beat faster too. "I-I didn't meet that fellow, Scyther," he claimed, shivering.

'Why are you lying, human?' she said after a short silence, having seen through him. 'If you did meet him, how come he let you pass?'

"He, ugh, was asleep," Bill lied, he hated where this was going. If Amber exposed his lie he'd be dead if the others found out. He tried to proceed to his walking, but he got prodded lightly by the Scyther who didn't want him to.

'No, no, no. He couldn't have been asleep, not that early! Something tells me you're lying.' She pointed at him with her left scythe, clearly threatening him. 'How did you get past him?'

"Well, uh, I did encounter him, but, uh, he got attacked by one too many Rattatas!" He knew that theory was too farfetched, but that's the only Pokémon he knew resided in the forest, and blaming it on a group of Caterpie would be too exaggerating.

Amber's eyes widened slightly, seeming upset. 'And you just left him to his fate?'

"Well, uh, yeah, why should I have helped him out? They were only after him, and he threatened me in the first place!" Bill objected.

'But you were still the cause of his death, human! He was only a kid, a mere kid!' she shouted lightly, it was clear she was upset over this. She attempted to swat him with her scythe in rage, but then Bill did his mistake.

He had had enough of being pushed around by those scythe wielding buggers. He dodged quickly enough to catch her off guard and punched her right on her muzzle. She reeled back in surprise, looking at him in wonder before attempting to slash at him. Bill ducked and sent another punch at her muzzle. This time, blood trickled down from her muzzle.

'Now I understand, human,' she told him menacingly, 'now I understand everything!' She rubbed her muzzle with her scythe, and then looked at it, it was blood on it, and it was her blood.

"You can't imagine what I did to that idiot!" Bill said bluntly, knowing that he was done for.

Amber let out a creepy chuckle; it sent a chill going down Bill's spine. 'Good, you're admitting it. You might be proud over that you've beat one of us, or even killed, but remember, he was just a kid, human, what you've done is unforgivable,' she growled.

'I wonder what leader will say about this,' she then mused, knowing that if Firzé heard of this, she would be rewarded somehow.

"He won't say anything, simply because I'm not letting you, Amber!' he snarled, his voice had begun to tremble again.

Amber looked at him with disgust. 'You're scared of me, human, give up.' she chuckled at him again. 'And don't think you can run either,' she added.

"It shouldn't be very far from the edge of the forest, all I have to do is to simply silence you… Amber!" His voice never stopped trembling; he never knew why his voice kept trembling all the time.

'I warn you, human, you're digging your own grave!' Amber threatened, but Bill began to laugh, whether it was a nervous or crazy laugh, he didn't know.

"Well, haha, come and get me, it might be, hahaha, your grave that I'll be digging,' he darkly replied, concentrating so his reflexes would aid him fast enough to evade an oncoming attack. It took only a second before she attacked; he noticed how her whole body was leaning forward, due to the immense speed she was travelling at. He easily jumped sideways, avoiding the attack.

"Impressive," he stated under his eerie laughs, "You're faster than Ace, I'll have to admit, let's see if you're as strong."

'Don't compare me to that kid!' Amber barked as she charged once again. Bill anticipated she would try to swing at him in the same manner as before, when she was in striking range she brandished her blade, only to miss. But this time Bill had ducked, and had directly tripped her after. She lost her footing and toppled over soon enough, Bill used that moment to run up to her.

She cursed inwardly over her careless assault; by the time she got up she heard the human approach. The next thing she knew was that he had grabbed one of her scythes and it was twisted around her back.

"Ops, heh," he mocked, quickly grabbing the other scythe, bringing it behind her as well. "It seems like you're pretty useless now that you can't use your precious scythes."

Amber struggled the first couple of seconds but calmed down. 'Very good, human, brilliant,' she commended. 'But didn't it occur to you that the others have found Ace by now?'

"I'll be out of here by the time they find him, judging by his status, it'll take time for him to tell them what happened." Bill forgot that he hadn't told Amber that Ace was alive.

'So Ace is alive?' Bill nodded reluctantly, humming to confirm it as a yes. 'Then what did you do to him?' she calmly asked.

"Broke his wing," he proudly said. "But." he let go of one of the scythes and held them both back with one hand, using his free hand to cover her mouth by grabbing a firm hold of the muzzle. "I don't want you to scream for any help," he told her; his voice had begun to tremble again.

Amber responded with a grunt, not liking him keeping her silent. In desperation, she tried to wiggle herself free.

"Bad Scyther, keep still!" he demanded, stomping on one of her reptilian feet, which resulted her to kick back at him.

'Amber!' someone called, it had to be another Scyther. 'Are you around here? Hello?' The voice came from a distance, and Amber calmed down, emitting a short chuckle through Bill's hand.

Bill quickly realized that the other Scythers were searching for Amber, or more precisely, they were looking for him. They had found Ace, he had told them what he had done, and now he was hunted.

He leaned closer to Amber's head. "Look, I want to go home," he spoke lowly, shivering in fright. 'I never wanted to be here, I hate this place." He referred to this world, and he was actually getting homesick.

Amber didn't have a clue of what he was speaking of, she hummed in confusion.

"Shut up, shut up shut up shut up," he snarled. He thought about his mum, his warm bed in his room. He also thought of his friends, his breathing had increased, since he wanted to go home, away from this wretched place. He was on the verge of crying again, he was at a disadvantage, and there'd be no way the Scyther would lead him out.

Suddenly, he felt the bug quickly wiggle once, making him let go of the muzzle. He had loosened his grip while he was thinking of his real home in Stockholm. He wanted to be there right now, where it was peaceful, with no freaking animals to be afraid of, except for bees and snakes, which were the only dangerous animals back there.

Two sharp, needles dug down his palm. The pain surged through his left arm like electricity, and he fought the urge of screaming in pain. He inhaled harshly, hissing inwards when the Scyther shook her head once, worsening the pain. If he let her scythes go to pry her mouth open, she would attack, but what choice did he have?

Amber snarled as she sunk her teeth deeper into his palm, knowing that he had to let go sooner or later. She jerked her head to the right, pleased to hear him whine and hiss in agony. But he still had a firm grip on both her scythes, and he was actually tightening them the harder she bit him.

He groaned for every second now, he knew the Scyther could keep up with this how long she wanted to. She then bent down slightly to twist his hand in her mouth. This was too much for him, his grip on the scythes slipped.

Before she could take a swipe on him by swing one of her scythes over her shoulder, Bill used his now free hand to poke her eyes with his thumb and middle finger. That didn't work well, it did stop her attempt on slashing him, but it also caused her to bite even harder. He thought that she would bite through his hand pretty soon, or so it felt.

He quickly moved his free hand to her mouth, trying to pry it open. But she then bent down even more, causing him to flip over her. Luckily for him, she had shown a little bit of mercy and had let go of his hand while he flipped over. If she had kept the hand in her mouth, he would have broken it.

When Bill was on his back he clutched his left hand in pain, he groaned and whined, trying to emit as little sound as possible. He saw two scythes pointing at him, and a leering Amber looking down at him.

'Nice try,' she admitted, 'but it didn't last as long did it?' She was speaking very lowly, was this because she didn't want the Scythers to come yet?

Bill couldn't reply, he was too concentrated on his hurt hand, he couldn't move his fingers without causing it to hurt more. But no bones had been crushed, and he knew he had been lucky.

Amber walked around him, still pointing her scythes at him to keep him down. Then she raised one to check her muzzle again. It still bled a little, but not as much as it did before. 'Aww,' she cooed, noticing the tears in his eyes. 'Getting teary, aren't you? But that's what you get for attacking me, human.'

"I-I want to go home," he said quietly, sniffling every now and then, shaking in fright.

'It seems you don't understand, human, you're never going home, you're staying here!'

"…no," he started, his heart was beat faster. "…never," he whispered lowly, "…going home…?"

She nodded slowly. 'Exactly, you're a little dense, human, you know that? Now, I need to give my swarm my location so we can put you to death soon.' She turned away from him and sighed, smiling.

Bill looked in fear when the bug Pokémon looked around, as if to sense where the others probably were. The one that they had heard before had probably walked off to the wrong direction.

Suddenly, his rage burst out, he couldn't take it anymore. "NEVER!" he screamed, jumping to his feet, facing an astonished Scyther. He brought his left, injured hand to strike her; since he was left handed he mostly opened with a left punch. But she quickly reacted and brought up one of her scythes to block the oncoming blow.

He had forgotten about his injured hand, but it called to his mind when he hit the blocking scythe. He screamed in further pain as he, once again, clutched his hand.

'Fool!' she exclaimed, 'but I must thank you for saving my trouble calling them, seeing how you grab their attention with your screaming.'

She attempted a horizontal slash at him, but only to open a wound on him. But he as he was clutching, he quickly ducked and gave her a powerful uppercut with his healthy hand right under her jaw. After that he swiftly kicked her in the thin yellow part that connected the upper and lower body, making her double over.

Bill took his chance and ran away, not caring whether it was the right way or not, but he knew it was probably the stupidest and most foolish thing he ever did.

'Go ahead, run, human, but we'll find you!' Amber voice echoed from a distance as he was running.

'_Home, I want to go home!'_ was the thought that constantly repeated itself in Bill's mind. He was running blindly, he never really knew which way he ran, he even risked running into another Scyther. He wished so much he had stayed in Pewter, or even better at his house back home, ignoring going to the beach. He even wished he had called in sick that day he was transported to this world.

He had accidentally run into a clearing, this was certainly a bad place to be in. But in the clearing there was some thick tall grass, he knew he could probably hide in there for a while. He dove into the grass and lay down, as still as he could lie.

His eyes were starting to get dry again, forcing him to blink, he was crying again. He never knew how dangerous it could be outside the town walls, he never really did. His now bloody hand started to sting even more. His stomach started to twitch under the pain, but not to the point to where he was going to throw up.

He heard a buzzing sound closing in; did the Scythers know where he was? His breathing started to get more intense, and he covered his mouth with his healthy hand to silence the sound of his breathing.

He heard faint mumbles a distance away from the grass in which he was hiding in.

'Have you found him yet?' one asked.

'Not yet, do you think he's hiding somewhere here?' another one suggested

'Nah, he's not that stupid, but he will pay for what he did to Amber!' a third one snarled.

'Well, I…' a fourth one paused for a second. 'I don't think he's here, Amber said he went that way, let's spread out.' He heard the buzzing noise fade away.

He let out a silent sigh of relief, but one thing concerned him, how would he get out? If he knew those creatures right, they would never give up the search after him. But for now he was safe, as long as he remained still they wouldn't find him.

The grass he was hiding in was cold, and he started to shudder. He exhaled air on his hands, warming them up temporarily. He looked at his left hand, it looked hideous. Crimson, hardened blood was on it, and if he even used it, it hurt. What was worse is that it could have been infected too; the Scyther had bitten him hard after all. He exhaled more air to keep them warm, since his body was shivering more now.

He took a deep breath, calming down. His shivering came to a halt, this weren't any of his abilities, he just relaxed and stopped thinking of the coldness. But unfortunately, it would come back in short time. A thought struck him like lightning, he had completely forgotten about the Stop Watch! He could just use that and safely walk out of the-

A voice very close to him interrupted his thought. 'Foolish human!' it hissed, it was almost like he could feel the breath of whatever was behind him. He got the sinking feeling in his stomach, on top of being almost totally stiffened in fear. A Scyther had spoken, judging from the all familiar hisses and growls that emitted from their speech.

'The tall grass is our element,' the bug continued. Bill knew it probably had a perfect view of him while he couldn't see it. And he didn't dare to turn around either yet. 'And it surprises me why you decided to hide in it, but I don't really complain, you know.'

There was a pause, clearly showing that the bug was expecting an answer. But when it didn't get one, it continued nevertheless.

'Sneaking in the grass really gave me a rush of excitement. Hunting, in other words, and I imagined that you, human, were my prey.' The voice sounded like the Scyther had approached furthermore, but what made Bill shiver was that no sound was heard when it approached, especially when he didn't see it.

Another pause, this one was longer. Bill tried to plan how he'd run away, but then… what could he do? Suddenly the Scyther broke the silence, its voice much nastier than before. 'You sick, child abusing coward! How could you do that to Ace?'

Bill mustered all of his remaining courage and hope in his body to speak. "I… I never… knew he was a… kid. I swear I never knew," he admitted, knowing that the Pokémon wouldn't care.

'Pitiful excuses, please spare them from me,' the Scyther promptly replied. It then hummed once, judging from the tone Bill knew it hadn't approached anymore. 'The hunter looks at the unknowing prey, approaching silently,' it told in third person, mostly imagining what it was about to do. 'The hunter readies himself to lunge at the instant his prey moves,' he continued, having revealed his gender.

"Huh?" Bill wondered, surprised by the strange speech.

The Scyther gasped in acted shock. 'Wait! The prey knows he's watched! But that's nothing the hunter needs to be worried of. He is indeed behind his prey, so the hunter's meal is secured.' At this point, Bill prayed that the Scyther was just acting when he heard him talking about him being the creature's meal. But he had been hinted of its position.

'The hunter is fully aware of the prey's foolish attempt to hide. The prey never realized that his smell would reveal his position. And he was never really aware of the hunter's sharp sense of smell.' Bill cursed in his mind, so that's how the Scyther found him!

The acting Scyther continued, 'From the prey's actual perspective, there never was any hiding, and now… there is no running either. And soon, the hunter would make sure the prey had no living. A rich meal awaits the hunter, and an easy one too…'

Bill made move, he tried to scramble to his feet as quickly as possible to face this somewhat crazy Scyther who had started to speak in third person. At the instant he turned around, he was being knocked down by a green blur. The Scyther had been careful enough to avoid causing any more cuts.

But he quickly counteracted by, when he landed on the ground, using the force the Scyther had used to charge forward to throw it off him by planting his foot on the bug's middle section. The green Pokémon screamed in surprise when it was thrown off. Bill used the extra time to quickly get to his feet, facing the Scyther who had gotten up as well.

'Ooh,' the mantis exclaimed, 'the prey resists, but he's no match for the hunter who's higher up in the food chain.'

"Cut the acting, it gets annoying, you little bugger!" snarled Bill, eyeing the Scyther.

The Scyther bowed politely. 'You didn't like my little play there, hmm?' he asked with a little disappointment, pointing at him before crossing his scythes.

"You were acting all over! I think I even got something on me!" With that, he dashed forward to punch the Scyther. The Scyther snickered when he dodged with ease.

'Aren't you afraid, human?' he asked, dodging another punch. 'Do you think you can imagine what we will do to you?' He dodged another punch, backing away fluently towards the edge of the grass.

"Be still so I can hit you!" Bill demanded, annoyed because he couldn't get a hit in. His next punch was, however, deflected by the flat of a scythe. But the Scyther had pushed his weapon forward, causing Bill to lose his balance. The mantis quickly circled around him and tackled him, knocking him to the ground.

The Scyther sat on Bill's stomach, waving his lethal weapons in front of his terrified face. 'What's the matter, human? Am I too fast for you?' He began to prod Bill at various parts of his upper body. 'Heh, nah nah nah nah naah,' he teased, grinning gleefully. He liked the sight of the irate Bill who got prodded, and for each prod he winced more.

Bill quickly grabbed one of the scythes and twisted it lightly. But that caused the Pokémon to point the other scythe at his eye. 'Oh no, you don't,' he said lowly, threatening to prod his eye if he didn't let go. He followed that advice, letting the scythe go at an instant. The Scyther smirked and rewarded him with a couple of pats on his cheek for his choice, as if saying "Good boy".

Bill's sudden homesickness returned, his hate for this world started to build up inside him again, his hate for these freaky creatures 'gifted' with those deadly blades, and his hate for his destiny to save the world. He wanted to go home, and play that LAN game they had planned. He longed for the feeling to beat his friends on those games.

'_No!'_ he suddenly thought, _'I can't die like this! There's only one of them!'_ With that, he started to struggle frantically with his legs, hoping to reach far enough to kick the Scyther in the back head. To his luck, he scored an almost perfect hit on the Scyther. To his bad luck, the Scyther had put its scythe on his left hand, pushing it down.

It almost took every little of his willpower to prevent screaming when the scythe started to slowly dig into his hand. His legs flailed even more about, and hit the mantis some more times until he got enough room to push it off with his right hand. He did his best not to think of the pain in his hand, and scrambled to his feet. This time, he was up before the Scyther, and grabbed the opportunity, kicking the Pokémon in the head, downing it so he could get a distance.

But when he turned to run, he faced his worst nightmare.

Firzé, the leader of the Scyther swarm, standing with his scythes crossed.

He jumped in fright, had that Scyther watched the whole show, or had he heard his yells at the Scyther he had kicked? When he turned back to look at the stricken Scyther, he saw that he was still down. But then he saw another Scyther emerge from the shadows, and another one. He turned around again to look at the leader, now there were two more Scythers accompanied with him, one on each side of him.

He looked at the Scythers; they had started to form a circle around him, preventing any room for escape. The stricken one was slowly getting to his feet, smirking. He gave Bill a grin before standing up, walking dizzily to another Scyther who checked his injuries. The rest of the Scythers, were keeping their gazes at him, having the true look of murder in their eyes.

Unable to take it anymore, he fell down on his knees in despair. He then shifted back his weight, ending up in a sitting position. He buried his face in his hands, mostly the right hand, and broke down, letting the tears flow. Muffled sobs and cries were heard from him; the tears ran through his hands and made it down on the ground.

'That won't work, human,' said Firzé lowly, and slowly walking towards him.

"I want to go home. HOME!" he screamed, although it was a bit muffled. Firzé looked at him in wonder, but then snarled.

'Human,' he started, but turned more irate when Bill didn't respond. 'HUMAN!' he bellowed, Bill immediately looked up, his face mostly red and moist of all crying. 'You're hopefully aware of why you are in this situation, hmm?' he asked, despite his behaviour from last time, he was more confident, and collected.

Bill's lips were shaking, and a tear ran down involuntary down his cheek. "Y-yes," he whimpered. He glanced at the other Scythers; some of them were itching to take his life in one swipe, and some where more eager to tear one of his limbs off, watching him bleeding to death.

'You are a very interesting human,' said Firzé, breaking the short silence. 'Attacking Ace like that, how could you be so ruthless?'

"He… he attacked first," protested Bill. Firzé made a quick move with his scythe, slicing the very air.

'You're lying, human, as always, nothing but lies come from your mouth! Lies, lies, lies.'

"But he did!" Bill objected, still remembering that Ace actually had made his first move.

'Quiet you!' a Scyther from his left side snarled. It was Lozi, and he was very upset over the lies Bill said. 'You're just lying again, you always do, as you did before!' He slowly walked up to Bill. 'How could you do that to Ace? He had nothing to do with your previous encounter with Firzé!'

Firzé waved him off, silently telling him to stand back. 'See? Your so-called saviour back then even hates you, they all hate you, human.' He leaned closer to Bill, speaking lowly. 'But I must thank you for what you did to Ace, now they're on my side. No one will help you out now,' he explained, showing his fangs in a grin.

'But you know,' he added. 'It impresses me that you were able to dodge Ace and Amber's strikes, you're not an average human, if I have to admit,' he mentioned, circling his scythe once. There was a pause again, Bill could hear faint growls and hisses from the Scythers surrounding him, some mumbled to each other. The silence was painful, he never knew what was going to happen, the Scyther could very well behead him at an instant when he least expected it.

'First off, we had planned to kill you on sight,' Firzé suddenly said, 'but after Amber had told us of your battle skills, some of us were impressed, not many can hold one of us in place.' He moved even closer to him, Bill could feel the horrible breath of the Pokémon. 'But,' he then said, his look was different from last time, 'that won't be much of a trouble. When you lie down, defeated, bleeding and probably drawing your last breaths, one of my ponderings will be answered.' Firzé's look was almost full of glee; it scared Bill enough to almost to make him wet his pants.

Then, the Scyther did something that Bill never had wanted him to do.

Firzé grinned, exposing his fangs, and licked them, emitting a very repulsive slurping sound. Bill didn't want to believe it, Jonathan had said that these Scythers never had… or had they?

'And that is how human meat tastes like,' he finished evilly. His gleeful smirk returned when he saw Bill gasp heavily once when he heard that. His eyes that showed the expression of sheer horror blinked twice, not sure if he had heard, or seen right.

"Y… you… wouldn't… a-actually…" he stammered slowly.

'Why not?' said Firzé directly. 'It is the perfect punishment for what you've done. And if you wondered, I have already talked to the others about this, and they agreed with me.'

"But… no… don't… why," Bill rambled absentmindedly. This would be an even worse death than just killed, he'd never allow himself to be _eaten_ by a bunch of predators.

'But we won't do it now, you see, earlier this night, you challenged me for a fight, if memory serves me right. And, unlike you, I actually do have something called honour, and will not fight you in the condition you are now.' With that, Firzé smashed his head into Bill's, knocking him down on his back. He then quickly walked up and slammed his clawed foot down on Bill's injured hand.

Bill screamed in agony when the pain seared through his hand up to his arm. Firzé decided to grind it harder to the ground, probably for the sake of fun.

'Your screams in pain and agony, they are like music to my ears,' he said gleefully.

"YOU'RE SICK! TOTALLY SICK, YOU FREAK!" Bill roared in pure hatred when he tried to push away the foot pinning his hand. But by doing so only caused the leader to kick him powerfully on his side.

'There's no need for screaming, human, we will not kill you now,' Firzé said, a slight snarling in his voice was heard.

"Why not?" Bill growled back, his fear having turned into a temporary rage.

'First, we're tired, we haven't gotten much sleep. Secondly, from my experiences, carcasses tend to rot quickly, making the contents a little… putrid. And thirdly, I'm very eager to battle you, but since I want a proper battle, I want you to be in perfect condition until then.'

'But, leader, how is that possible?' one Scyther asked with disgust in his voice.

'Sharp, we just use some of our retrieved potions,' answered Firzé, lifting his foot from Bill's hand.

'But they don't work on humans as they work on us!' Sharp protested. 'He isn't worth it!'

'He will be, trust me,' Firzé assured, turning to the rest of the Scythers. 'We are all tired,' he announced clearly, 'but the night is still young, with probably eight to nine hours until dawn. At dawn, the fight between me and the human will begin. And after that, we will feast on his remains!' Most of the Scythers cheered upon hearing this. Bill's heart sank, was this really his end, even if he won or not?

'But even the human needs sleep to recover!' continued Firzé. 'And to make sure he doesn't escape, there will be one of you guarding him. There will be five of you; each one of you guards the human in one hour and a half. The chosen guards are, with the shifts in same order are: Lozi, Amethyst, Sharp, Plum and Edge.'

Three Scythers stepped closer into the ring, since Sharp had already stepped forward, and Amethyst was watching over Ace.

'Have you understood what you have to do?' The four Scythers nodded simultaneously. 'Good,' said Firzé, turning back to the human. 'I suspect that you won't cooperate, human, so I guess I have to do this the hard way.' He walked up to Bill, who had been struggling to get up while Firzé had talked to his minions. The dark green Scyther head butted him powerfully on his fore head, sending him to dreamland at an instant.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

A/N

A BIG change on this chapter! Previous readers should have noted the change.

Anyway, before someone starts to complain about the "me and the human" mistake, it was done intentionally, Firzé said so to mark his superiority against Bill. That's probably it, and people might think I interpreted Scythers as killers, I never really intended to. It's just that Firzé's honour still is heavily wounded when Bill 'ran away' from him.

Please leave a review if you feel so, even the slightest form of Criticism.

Hope you liked the chapter, and I hope previous readers liked the change!


	14. Another Point of View

_**Chapter 13**_

Disclaimer: Disclaimer? I told you last chapter that that one was the last one!

As I've said before, you might have noticed the big chapter change… I like holding back with the surprises, and I hoped I made a better reason why those Scythers decided to wait with the, uhm, yeah, you know.

Not much more to say, only that after my hard work rewriting this piece of… artwork (cough), I haven't gotten any frickin' response for it! Normally I'd think it's rude and impolite to ask the readers to review, but come on! How do I even know people are reading this? Hit counters are nice, but they really don't prove someone has read it! It could be a random kid clicking his way through the story!

IMO, it's just that… you don't have the guts to criticize, you cowards!

'Remember: you didn't see, you didn't hear, and you won't say anything' – Sharp the Scyther.

* * *

"**_Another Point of View"_**

Bill woke up, having regained his consciousness. His vision was still blurry, and a pain was beating in his head like a headache. He put his left hand on his forehead, wondering how he got that headache, no, it didn't feel like that.

Then he remembered that he had been knocked unconscious by Firzé, and that his hand was gravely injured. But, it seemed quite okay now, it was just a little sore, but the wound had almost healed.

He found himself sitting against a tree, not knowing where he was. It suddenly came to his mind: the encounter, escape, and confrontation with the Scythers; he remembered why he was here now. He looked frantically around, it was clear to him that they had moved him, probably closer to their territory of course, if not in it.

It was still dark, he was sure there was some time before he had to fight Firzé. If he was lucky, he'd take that bug down, if not… well, Game Over.

A horrible realization hit him; Firzé had never said that he'd be free if he won, was it that if he won, the rest of them would attack him? Shuddering at the thought, he felt his legs were a little stiff from all the sitting, he needed to stretch his body. He slowly got to his feet.

'I hope you weren't trying to escape on me like that, human!'

Bill's heart skipped a beat when he heard that, it was like a slight hiss in that voice. He leaned against the tree, looking for the source of the voice. It didn't take long though.

A Scyther was leaning against another tree a couple of metres from him, and it eyed him fiercely.

"Well, um, hi. I wasn't trying to escape, eh, yeah," said Bill awkwardly.

'Then sit down!' it ordered, 'so I can be sure you're not even thinking of it!'

"Okay, okay," Bill replied, slowly sitting down again.

'Good, good. This is exactly how it should be like; you humans doing what _we_ tell you to, we giving you orders!'

Bill rolled his eyes, knowing it was dark enough to do it unseen. But the Scyther noticed him looking away, however.

'Don't look away from me, you're here now! And that means that you show us the respect we deserve!'

Bill had heard that sentence before, but he didn't really remember when.

"So, Scyther," he begun, "for how long have I've been sleeping, and who are you?"

The mantis sighed slightly, and approached slowly. 'The name's Sharp, and I'm doing the third shift, which soon is over.' Sharp stopped, looking down on Bill. 'So that means you've been sleeping for a little more than four hours, did you sleep well?' ha asked nastily, showing a mean grin.

"Not really," Bill said lowly, "my legs still feel a little stiff, my back hurts after leaning against that tree. But my hand seems in good condition, and I feel for some reason a little refreshed. How come?"

Sharp looked at him, surprised. "Oh, so the potions did their magic? But tell me, human: to our knowledge, we know they only work on our kind and other kinds as well, but they don't work on humans. How come it worked on you? Are you-'

"Don't make any rash conclusions, Sharp! Do you remember that potion prototype I talked about before? The "Prototype Potion Alpha 69 Zeta?" I believe?" He knew he had probably said another name. Sharp looked suspiciously at him, narrowing his eyes.

'Ah, yes. You told us about that ingenious product of yours, but there must be something more we don't know. The potions used on you weren't of that you spoke of.'

"I was just getting there," replied Bill, "That potion allows the human body to take advantage of the attributes in the regular potions, making them be usable for us humans too!"

Sharp's eyes studied him, the slits that had that piercing stare almost made him freak out. Then, the Scyther turned around, walking back to his tree. 'Human technology,' he muttered with his back turned to Bill, 'sometimes amazes me too. What next, a type of those wretched balls that enables _us_ to catch _you_? It'd be priceless to see you caught in those balls.' He laughed lightly, leaning against the tree he was leaning against before.

It was silent again; nothing could be heard in the dark forest Bill was in. He took various deep breaths and checked his surroundings more carefully.

"Hey," Bill said, breaking the silence, "You didn't react when I called you by your name. How come? Amber got totally upset when I did that."

'Amber…' Sharp mused, chuckling a little. 'She's a little overzealous, obliged to follow the laws and such. But since you are about to fight Firzé soon, you've been given the privilege to call us by our made up names,' he finished.

There was a moment of silence again. Bill soon became restless of all the sitting.

"About this fight, if I win, will you let me go?" he asked warily. Sharp coughed sarcastically at that and started to slowly walk towards him.

'Let you go? What are you talking about, human?' he informed, smiling smugly. 'You'll never defeat Firzé; you have no idea of how strong he is. And besides, what can you do? Throw a punch or kick, that's all? All Firzé needs is one swipe.' He swiped the air viciously, and then smiled.

"Well, I think I'm healthy enough to knock you down and twist off your neck!" snarled Bill, glaring at the Scyther who looked down at him. Before he could as much as blink, a scythe had been driven into the tree he was resting against, just a centimetre or two from his neck.

'You… really think… so?' Sharp slowly growled, his body trembling in anger. 'I could kill you right now, before you even blink, human. But I'm ordered to watch over you, so you won't try to escape. Even if you manage to win, we will still kill you afterwards, and I'll be glad to grab that opportunity,' he told Bill, pulling out his scythe from the tree.

'But until then, human, you stay where you are, and you make sure you keep veery calm for now.' He walked back to his own spot again. Bill just sat there; his eyes and mouth were wide open in fright that moment. But after a while he regained the courage to speak.

"So," he begun lightly, seeing Sharp looking at him angrily, "what do you think of the idea?"

'What idea?'

Bill swallowed once. "You know… that you'll… what you'll do to me after I've fought Firzé." He already felt a little strange in the stomach after saying that.

Sharp's face lit up with excitement. 'Ah, yes. You're recalling the idea of eating you, correct?' Bill's stomach twitched once. 'I say it's a brilliant idea! After what you did to Ace… and Amber, I'll be glad to be part of tearing you from limb to limb.'

Bill felt a little dizzy, and he resisted imagining how it would look like when he was dead. He then looked at Sharp with disgust.

'Sickened, aren't you?' Sharp then noted, having seen Bill's expression. 'Well, I have to admit that we have never really eaten a human before, even though we _are_ one step higher up in the food chain, after all.'

Bill's eyes began to get dry, soon about to cry, but he kept a straight face.

'You just have to face it, human, confronting us was a mistake, but to us it was quite fortunate. And you know, I've reserved your right arm, I'm sure it'll be tasty.'

Bill had had enough of those repulsive comments the Scyther was blurting out. He felt his stomach twitch once more, and he felt the acidic taste of the gastric juice that was in his stomach.

"You know what, Sharp? You're nothing but a murderer, a bloodthirsty beast. Your only amusement is killing, is that your kind of life?" he growled, hating the Scyther over everything else by now.

When he saw Sharp look at him, he quickly thought over of it really was smart to say all that. Sharp eyed him furiously for a while.

'Is that what you think of us?' he first asked, his voice was very tense. 'Is that… what you truly… think what we are?' Sharp's voice seemed to be filled with venom.

"Yes," replied Bill, keeping a straight face, "that is exactly what I think about you and your wretched species!" He saw Sharp advancing towards him, and judging by the movements, he knew that he was upset… and pissed off.

'You humans are so shallow,' he growled, 'you judge everything from the outside looks, don't you? If I weren't ordered not to kill you, you'd be dead by now!'

"Didn't you just contradict yourself?" remarked Bill. Sharp growled slightly, but smiled faintly afterwards.

'Of course not, you're provoking me, you're daring me. Do you honestly think I'll sit back like a nice Scyther? Of course not!' he spat, turning serious again. 'You don't really know anything about our species, right?' he then asked.

"Except for tonight, I've encountered your species two times, both of the same Scyther, which in this case is Firzé. And both times, he wanted me dead!" he told Sharp. The Scyther tilted his head slightly in wonder, and then stared into his eyes.

'Then Firzé was right after all,' concluded Sharp, 'you claimed you only met him once, didn't you? You incompetent fool, do you know you just admitted that you lied just now.' He then realized he was wandering out off the actual subject. 'Anyway, I would like to inform you that we aren't murderers. Where you have gotten those fantasies is beyond me, but you should know this: we're warriors, human, we do not kill for fun. Our real amusement is duelling with each other, but we don't kill each other if you thought that.'

Bill had listened carefully, knowing that Sharp would get angrier than he was before if he noticed that he wasn't listening. "Is that all you do? Duelling? Psh, fighting all day… don't you got anything better to do?"

Sharp hissed as he took a quick step forward. 'Watch it, human! We aren't humans, and we're happy about that, this is our way of living! It's in our nature to battle, we are a race of honour, and by duelling shows the strength of the various members of the swarm,' he snapped, calming down afterwards.

"Okay!" Bill acknowledged, doing his best not to anger the bug anymore. "But how about the killing? What you'll do to me is kinda barbaric, isn't it?"

Sharp cleared his throat before speaking, preparing another speech. 'Well, since you judge us as killers just because we're known to kill other Pokémon, I have to remind you that we actually are predators. In order to survive, we have to kill, that's the life of us, the life of a predator!'

"But what about me, how do I come into the picture?" interjected Bill, only to receive a snarl from the mantis.

'Don't interrupt me, human!' he spat back, baring his fangs. 'Nevertheless, why we're doing this to you is for this simple reason: you pose a threat to our kin, the way you battle only consists of inflicting as much pain as possible, something we find very dishonourable.' He narrowed his eyes, showing Bill the hate of what he had done before.

'Hatchlings, human, are more or less defenceless. It takes quite the time for the scythes to harden, they're soft when we're hatched, and after that we practise. Ace was more proud of his wings, since they actually hardened very quickly. He spent most of his free time flying, and that adds to what you did to him!'

"How can you even think I should've known that, huh?" Bill spat back. "Do you really think that I had a checklist of every Scyther in Viridian Forest?"

'But you met Firzé earlier, and you must've noticed that Ace was smaller!' argued Sharp.

"Looks can be deceiving. Back home where I lived before I've experienced that, a lot of times I might add!" Bill shot back. Sharp first opened his mouth to speak, but remained silent, not knowing what to say. "Haha," Bill laughed triumphantly, "got you there, didn't I?"

'Shut up!' hissed Sharp, hating to admit defeat.

"Aww, are you sour because I won the argument, hmm?" Bill mocked with a wide smirk on his lips. However, it quickly faded when Sharp viciously raising his scythe.

'Enough of that, what you thought is completely irrelevant. What really is relevant is what you did to him.' He leered again, having mischievous thoughts in his head. 'What we might do to you might seem barbaric at first, but it also serves as an experiment. Human meat, no one's ever tasted that before, and we're all very curious of how it tastes.' Sharp licked his fangs in anticipation, examining his body.

"Eh, have you ever tried veggies? It's good to eat veggies this time," suggested Bill, whether it was a joke or not, he didn't notice. Sharp, however, didn't take it as one either.

'Of course we have, but we can't survive on only that in a long shot. And besides, if you want to be strong, you need to hunt for fresh meat, and get stronger for the next hunt!'

Bill just sat there, seeing that the Scyther was trying to convince him that they weren't mindless killers. But now that he was under these circumstances, he didn't feel any better; they would still kill him anyway.

'Strange,' Sharp mused, 'having a conversation with a human is quite nice after all.' He narrowed his eyes. 'But it won't help you out of here if you though it would. And we will savour the parts of you body when we eat them!' he sneered, showing another smirk. The image of the sadistic beast immediately returned to Bill's mind. He began to feel more nauseous when he heard Sharp mention the last words.

'The feast will take place by the pond, so we can wash ourselves afterwards. But if Firzé, who will get the first bite, says your meat is too tough, we will use various methods to tender it.' Sharp walked up to Bill, he was now in striking range. 'First, there is the hanging upside down procedure, but that might be a little careless, since other humans might find you. Don't worry, you won't feel any pain since you're dead by then,' he assured.

"Wow, I appreciate that very much," said Bill sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Sharp chose to ignore that and continued.

'Another good way would be to, hmm,' Sharp thought briefly. 'Ah, yes. Another good way would be to put your dead body under the water for a day or two, checking every now and then, to make sure the body doesn't get too rotten. And finally, we could just chop off various parts off your body, burying them here and there. Later, we'll dig them up again… and besides, that method also makes the meat tastier… as long as Caterpies and Weedles don't eat it up, that is.' That was the end of Sharp's speech.

Bill's face was paler than before, he couldn't take this anymore, or more precisely, his stomach couldn't. He suddenly felt the world spin around him in a circle, and he was about to throw up any second.

"You, you wouldn't mind… mind me going to that tree… over the…there?" he choked as he slowly was getting to his feet. Sharp let out a lowly, but threatening growl.

'No, not at all. But if you try anything, you're dead, I have my orders.' Sharp eyed Bill as he staggered to another tree.

Bill was now by the tree, putting his hand on the trunk, resting on it. He took a couple of breaths before bending over, he bent over while coughing harshly, he felt the substance in his stomach shoot up and exit through the mouth. Out came a strange coloured liquid that contained gastric juice mixed with some of the digested food he had eaten earlier. His throat was stinging of the juice and he felt very disgusted.

Sharp sighed and looked away briefly; he still heard some coughs from Bill, though. When he looked back he saw him staring at the pile of vomit.

Bill slowly staggered back to the tree he was leaning against before. "Yuck, I really feel bad now," he mused, feeling embarrassed and disgusted at the same time. He could still feel the acidic taste in his mouth, now he couldn't pick on Firzé for his bad breath for a while.

Sharp had walked back to his spot again. 'So, feeling better?' he nastily asked.

"No, what do you think? I just threw up because of you telling your extremely gross ways of how you, yeah… you know what I mean," growled Bill, only to receive a chuckle from Sharp.

'It's not my problem that you're sensitive. Do you really think I've spoken to a human before?' he asked smugly. Bill shook his head. 'Good, then stop complaining!'

Bill sat there for a couple of minutes, feeling uncomfortable and unable to sleep. This was due to his regurgitation, and he knew that if he fell asleep, he wouldn't wake up until it was time for the fight. He looked up at the cloud free, starry sky, he noticed a strange thing up there. Even though he was in another world, the star constellations remained the same.

Through the treetops, he could make out the all known Big Dipper, the constellation almost everybody knows. He then spotted the Polestar, but he wasn't sure if it really was the Polestar, but it was the one shining the brightest.

He then let his gaze move to the Scyther yet again; he watched the deadly mantis which was going to be part of eating him when he was dead. He was close to crying again, but this time he didn't held back, he let the tears flow down his cheeks. He felt the salty water tickle his cheeks as the proceeded down his face, dropping down on the ground.

'Do my eyes deceive me?' Sharp lowly said, 'Did you really think that crying will get you any sympathy, hmm? You really are pathetic, human, pathetic!' he spat.

Bill sniffled for a while before responding. "But, but, I want to, want to go home. I hate this place. I hate you. I hate EVERYTHING!" he screamed.

Sharp hushed him instantly. 'You don't want to wake too many Pokémon around here, they might get you, human! And besides, there's no one that would be willing to help you in the vicinity, so why bother screaming?' He sighed after that in irritation.

Bill's crying turned worse, now the tears flowed out more and he wept aloud. "Do you have any… idea what kind of a week I've had here?"

Sharp looked at him uninterestedly. 'No, and I don't care either. I'm not really interested of your "bad week"; I'm only interested of what you taste like.' He eyed Bill hungrily again.

Bill, on the other side, felt strange in his stomach. But it wasn't of nausea… it was something else. When he knew what it was, he accidentally said it out loud.

"I'm hungry…" he murmured, hoping that Sharp wouldn't pick that up. But he did, and he smiled devilishly.

'Are you hungry? Hmm…' Sharp looked around, sniffing the air. 'You know what? If you be a nice human and stay here, I'll get you something, okay?' he requested eagerly. Bill already got the feeling that this Scyther was up to something.

"Uhh, I-" he started, but was interrupted.

'Good, then it's settled!' He began to walk away into the darker parts of the forest. 'Don't try to run if you intended to, I can feel your scent throughout the forest, and if you move, I'll detect it,' he informed, looking over his shoulder.

It didn't take long until he completely disappeared. Bill remembered the Stop Watch all of a sudden. He picked it up from his pocket and was about to push the button.

He hesitated.

He didn't know where he was in the first place. He knew that if he activated the watch and ran, he would get lost. And directly after he had started time again, Sharp would detect him not being in his usual place. It was useless.

He quickly though it over again, hoping that he would think up a better plan. But he didn't, it would only lead to his death if he tried it. One way could be having someone to guide him out, but there'd be no way one of those Scythers would voluntarily help him out. No way.

He heard a rustling sound that came from nearby bushes, by reflex, he pocketed his watch instantly. He shuddered at first, but he, strangely, calmed down when he saw it was Sharp. But there was something Sharp was carrying that Bill didn't like.

A dead Caterpie.

Sharp walked up to him and tossed the dead Bug Pokémon to Bill. He immediately fell sick again, especially when he looked at the wound the Caterpie had across the body. His hunger had gone completely after the sight of the dead Pokémon.

He pressed himself against the tree, trying to keep as big distance from the carcass as possible.

'What? You don't like it?' asked Sharp, feeling a little disappointed, but then his face lit up again. 'Oh, yeah, almost forgot. You humans aren't very good with the preparations. Here, let me fix it for you,' he said as he walked up to Bill, scooping up the dead Caterpie with his scythes. Then he brought it to his mouth, he looked at it shortly before biting its head, tearing it off. After he had spit out the head, he dropped it to Bill's feet.

'There you are, human, all you have to do now is to drink the substance.'

Bill gazed at the now headless Caterpie; he began to feel like it was spinning in his head again. "I… I… I can't eat… eat that!" he choked, disgusted by the sight.

'So you're not accepting it?' asked Sharp again. 'I'm hurt, human, you say you're hungry, and when I get you something, you refuse to eat it! How ungrateful!'

"So what are you going to do? Force-feed me?" growled Bill, still feeling sick of the sight.

Sharp scooped up the corpse and studied it. 'No, but it sounded like a good idea. Very well, I guess I have to eat it myself. After all, it would be a shame to leave food to rot, wouldn't it?' he told him.

"Well, uh, yeah," responded Bill a little awkwardly.

Sharp glanced at him before returning to his place with the corpse. He sat down, bringing the Caterpie close to his mouth. 'Bottoms up,' he said lowly before biting the upper part of the body, jerking his head upwards. Bill could hear the gulping sounds from the Scyther as he drank the inner liquids of the departed bug, he could even hear a sucking sound coming from him. Either way, it made him feel worse.

Sharp never paused the drinking, some of the liquid dribbled down on his scythes, but he didn't mind. After he had drunk the liquid in one go, he lightly spat the drained body out of his mouth, licking his scythes afterwards. He let out a long sigh of enjoyment, savouring the aftertaste of the liquid.

'Mmm, this one was more salty than usual… but the sweet aftertaste made it up,' he mused. He looked at Bill, seeing the disgusted look. Shrugging, he picked up the Caterpie with both his scythes, biting off one part of the body. He chewed the parts eagerly, looking at Bill at the same time.

'You know,' he started, his mouth full of food, 'Caterpies contain a lot of nourishment, and they taste good too.' He swallowed and took another bite, ripping off a larger part this time. 'Too bad for you that you refused my offer, are you sure you don't want to test it?' Bill shook his head. 'Oh well, that means more for me,' he said as he chewed the parts.

Bill slowly got to his feet. Not only had the foul stench of the dead Caterpie sickened him, but what made it even worse was that the Scyther talked with his mouth full of food. When he fully stood up, feeling dizzy of the nausea, Sharp glared at him.

'What are you up to now?' he asked, having swallowed half of the food in his mouth.

"I'm gonna go to that tree and throw up, if you mind," replied Bill bluntly, he felt the acid sting in his throat when he said that. Sharp looked at him for a couple of seconds, chewing slowly, and swallowed the rest of what was inside his mouth before answering,

'Be my guest then, but make it quick!' He took yet another bite of the Caterpie, and began chewing it repulsively. Before Bill turned to walk to the tree he threw up at earlier, he frowned at the Scyther.

'_At least try to chew with your mouth closed,'_ he angrily thought when he walked to the tree. When he was there he bent over and threw up at the instant he coughed. He felt the same bitter, acidic taste in his mouth afterwards, spitting out a small amount of it that hadn't completely gone out from the mouth.

When he walked back to where he rested, he saw Sharp licking his scythes clean. But what made him feel sick again was that the dead Caterpie was gone, Sharp had probably eaten up the whole body.

'Yum, that one was good,' he mused before looking at Bill. 'From now on, you're not going anywhere to throw up anymore! If you're about to throw up again, you'll have to do it where you sit!' He finished licking his scythes clean. He looked at one of them, watching his faint reflection of the damp blade.

'But I'm pretty sure you're empty by now,' he finished, still looking at his scythe.

"Ha, ha, ha," laughed Bill sarcastically. "Very funny… quite the comedian, aren't you?" he finished dryly. Sharp shook his head, not saying anything. "So you weren't the one who caught me… and tried to act a dramatic scene and all?"

Sharp looked up at him. 'You're recalling that little show. You know, we all heard it, apart from the ones who weren't there, but everyone else that was there when Firzé talked to you was there, hearing the entire scene,' he said, smiling.

Bill understood that they had found him while he was hiding sooner than he had thought. They just played a game with him back then.

'But, you see,' the Scyther then continued, 'Hunter always like to scare his victims, and we were ordered to kill you in sight, until you attacked him. You have impressive speed, human, faster than I've seen from any human before. But sadly, you're not fast enough to take on us.'

Sharp then looked around impatiently, as if he waited for someone. 'Where is he? My shift is over by now. If he doesn't show up soon I'll get back at him another day,' he quietly mused, but Bill heard it.

"Who are you talking about?" inquired Bill.

'My shift is over, human, I need m share of sleep. I want to be as alert as possible so I can watch the fight which will take place in about three more hours.' Sharp slid his scythe over his other one, as if sharpening them.

"Hah!" scoffed Bill. "I know exactly what to do to take Firzé down! And after that, I'll take care of you, you bugger!"

Sharp quickly rose to his feet, looking down at him. He quickly approached Bill, looking him in his eyes with his penetrating stare. 'I must admit you're quite the cheeky one when Firzé isn't here! But let me inform you that you stand no chance against him, so why do you keep saying you'll defeat him? You're doomed!' he snarled, close to explode in anger.

"You can't make any predictions before the fight! In three hours I will show you the meaning of pain, mark my words!" spat Bill, glaring back at the Scyther.

Sharp was silent, and Bill smiled inwardly. He had shut that Scyther up for once by scaring it.

'OH, IS THAT SO?'

Or maybe not… he had succeeded in angering Sharp however.

'Sometimes I wonder why I shouldn't kill you right off the bat.'

Bill's face had paled, not of the nausea, but in fright. He wondered if he had wetted his pants, as he had felt the sting in the bladder. But luckily, he hadn't. When he saw a scythe move closer to him threateningly, he mustered is courage to speak.

"Well, Firzé would be rather pissed if you did, heh," he retaliated awkwardly.

Sharp looked at him with fury. 'Exactly,' he growled. 'But I have other plans. You keep going around thinking how tough you are, prove it to me here and now! Give me your best shot, right here, across my face.' Sharp got down to Bill's level, wanting him to punch him across the face.

'Come on, human, what are you waiting for? DO IT!' he demanded. But Bill didn't punch; he just looked away slightly, pretending he didn't hear what Sharp said.

Sharp stood up, looking at Bill with hate. He quickly raised one of his scythes, preparing to slice him. Bill flinched, which made Sharp scoff lightly. 'Just as I thought,' he sneered. Bill knew he was right, he felt miserable, he was nothing. He was a coward.

'What are you up to?'

Both Bill and Sharp turned their heads to look at the direction the voice came from. It was another Scyther, probably the one who should be guarding Bill now.

'I heard it all, Sharp, you tried to provoke the human to attack you. And if he did that you'd have your reason for killing him!'

Sharp walked up to the other Scyther, pointing at him. 'Plum, you saw nothing, you heard nothing, and you'll say nothing!' he snarled at the other Scyther, whose name was Plum. Sharp was a little taller than Plum, and seemed to be stronger too.

'But,' objected Plum, but he didn't get the time to finish.

'No buts, Plum!' Sharp snapped, swiping close to Plum. 'You didn't hear, you didn't see, and if you dare to tell Firzé about this you'll regret it!' he threatened.

"What if I tell him about it?" said Bill smugly. Sharp turned to Bill, sending an ice cold stare.

'You? Hah! Who do you think Firzé would believe? One of his most trusted?' He pointed both scythes at himself, then pointing one of them at Bill, 'or a lying no-good human like you?'

Bill stayed silent, knowing that Sharp was right. He hated to admit it, and sent a glare towards the Scyther.

'Good, then keep your mouth shut!' Sharp turned to Plum again, who seemed to feel uncomfortable. 'And that goes for you too, Plum! One word…' He waved his scythe dangerously close to Plum's face before going away.

Bill just sat there staring at what seemed to be nothing after that Sharp had told him off. He heard the footsteps of the Scyther slowly fade away.

"I'll get you, after Firzé is done with, I'll kill you, you freak of a grasshopper," he said lowly, but he had the feeling that it was still too loud.

The fading footsteps stopped, he heard the footsteps approach, fast, but there was no sign of running. He kept looking forward, not daring to look behind him. Soon enough, he saw Sharp in front of him, glaring down at him.

'What? You said something, human. Spit it out, please,' he demanded. His voice was as sweet as honey, but that was surely poisonous honey.

Bill's fiery glare collided with the Scyther's ice-cold stare, creating a fierce tension between the both. "Did that offend you… grasshopper?" he said quietly.

'Come again? I didn't quite catch that,' asked Sharp, giving him a last chance to apologize. His voice was still as sweet, but it was just a little more tense, just a little bit.

"Are you deaf?" Bill slowly asked. Sharp jerked his head forward a little, anticipating the answer. "You freak of a GRASSHOPPER!" At the instant he shouted, he got kicked hard in his stomach. The sudden hit made him lose his air and bend over, coughing for air.

A scythe was placed under his chin, and forced him to look up right into Sharp's eyes.

'Maybe I should convince Firzé to change the plans for you… we could always eat you alive, you know. But to prevent any screaming from your side we'll first cut out your vocal cord.' Sharp moved his scythe from the chin to the throat, where the vocal cord was located. 'I think I should do that. Who knows? Maybe he'll appreciate that idea.'

Another kick hit Bill's stomach, and he lost his breath once again. Sharp turned to Plum.

'Remember: you didn't see, you didn't hear, and you won't say anything. You know what'll happen if you open your mouth, Plum.' With that, Sharp wheeled around and left.

Bill sat there, he had just made his death worse. He was fated to be eaten, yes, but now he had provoked another Scyther to the border of him suggestion eating him alive? He couldn't take that. Tears began to flow down as he sniffled.

Plum, who was guarding him now, glanced at him. He shook his head, assuming that he was trying to get some attention. But soon enough, the sobbing became too much for him to bear.

'Hey, human, quit it. If you thought crying would give you some sympathy, you failed, alright?' he said lowly. Bill wiped his tears, trying to stop crying, but he kept drawing in air from his nose every now and then, thus a sniffling sound was heard.

Plum sighed and stood up, cutting off a branch from the tree he was sitting against. He then handed it over carefully to Bill. 'Here, use these, human, it'll help,' he assured quietly. Bill hesitated at first, not sure to do what the Scyther had told him to. 'Hey, I won't bite,' he reassured. Bill coughed lightly, showing a faint smile, as he grabbed the branch. He ripped off a handful of leaves and blew his nose on them.

He threw the used leaves away, and he could breathe freely through his nose again. He glanced quickly at the Scyther, noticing he was smiling, this smile was not a mean smile he usually had seen before. This smile was more caring in a way, and amused of something funny.

'Feeling better?' asked Plum. Bill looked at him and smiled back.

"Yeah, thanks by the way. That was pretty nice of you, eh, Plum,' thanked Bill. He quickly thought over of what he just said. _'Me? Thanking a Scyther? I'm close to insane now,"_ he thought afterwards.

Plum's smile quickly faded into a frown, as if to hide something. 'Don't mention it!' he snorted, turning away from Bill, crossing his scythes. 'I did it because your sniffling got on my nerves.'

It quickly occurred to Bill that this Scyther was nicer than the rest, and was being pressured by Sharp. He knew he could use this to his advantage. But that guess could also be too farfetched, if he failed, they'd probably think up an even worse death for him. He decided to proceed carefully.

"So, you and Sharp aren't quite the best friends, are you?" he asked warily.

'What would you know, human?' Plum responded, irritated. 'It's none of your business whatsoever!'

Bill stayed quiet for a second, trying to think up what to say next. "Well, uh, does he always keep bossing you around?" he tried.

Plum sighed and raised both of his scythes in frustration. 'I told you, it's none of your business! Don't make me feel any worse by reminding it! Okay?' he snarled, having enough of Bill's questions. He sniffed the air a couple of times, cringing at a bitter, sour stench. 'Eww, what's that stench? Do you know what that is?' he asked.

Bill sniffed the air himself, sensing the stench of a pile of puke that had come from his stomach. "I think that's vomit that came from my stomach not long ago," he replied awkwardly. Plum swung his scythe in front of his face trying to waft away the stench.

'Gross,' said Plum, making a face. 'What made you do that?'

"Well, first time I got nauseous when Sharp told me how you'd tender my…" Bill paused, gulping one time. "…Meat and second time was when he ate that Caterpie in front of my eyes, the head's just over there by the way.' He pointed at the head of the Caterpie that wasn't far from where Plum was sitting.

'What? Aah! Away, away!' he yelled frantically as he kicked the head out of eyesight. Afterwards, he shuddered in fright, or in disgust. He walked back to his spot again, watching Bill.

"Heh, sorry, Plum. I didn't know you were that sensitive," apologized Bill, chuckling slightly of the scene. Plum just returned a sarcastic smile. "Well, it was kinda my fault, though. I mean, I told him that I was hungry and-"

'You were hungry, human?' interjected Plum, 'and he brought you _that_? What an asshole he is…' he muttered. 'You know what, human? I'll get you something good, just don't go anywhere.'

"Oh, I've heard that line before, taken straight from Sharp," said Bill, assuming that this Scyther would probably bring a Weedle for a change.

'Human, trust me, I know what you can and can't eat,' Plum reassured.

"Why would I trust a predator like you?" growled Bill. "You could at least tell me what you'll bring."

'Hey, would you like something to eat or not?' asked Plum angrily. Bill nodded. 'Well, it'll be a surprise, I promise. Just stay where you are,' he said happily. 'Or I'll get you if as much as even move from this spot!' he suddenly snarled. Plum took off to find something edible, and Bill waited.

Minutes passed, and no Plum. Bill wondered why that Scyther took his time; maybe he was hunting something bigger? He thought it over. _'Nah, he's probably having trouble catching anything.'_ He began to drum his knees lightly with his hands impatiently, waiting for the Scyther to return. He began humming a song from a game, but he didn't know from which game it came from. The humming soon turned into a faint whistling.

He tried to remember harder while he whistled, which game was it? It could've been a Final Fantasy theme, or maybe some game that Max and Victor used to play while he watched. But he just couldn't remember it!

He stopped whistling when he heard something approach, though the song still stayed in his mind. The sound of the rustles he heard came from the direction the Scyther had left before. And of course, Plum emerged from the depths of the forest, holding his scythes horizontally to his waist. He had quite a proud, excited look on his face, and it seemed that he held something in those scythes.

He closed into Bill, mostly concentrating on what he had on his scythes, and lowered them to the ground. Bill then saw what the Scyther had brought to him: berries, not just one kind, but many different kinds of berries. He smiled first, he appreciated this Scyther's hospitality, and it confirmed that this one was nicer too.

Plum looked at Bill, waiting for a comment. Growing impatient, he decided to speak. 'Well? Are these berries to you liking or not? It actually took some effort to harvest them so I'd appreciate a thanks or something.'

Bill didn't really know what to say; for once a Scyther had been nice to him. "Yeah, uh, thanks for showing respect of what I eat." He watched Plum put down the berries on the ground not far from him, but he took some of them with him.

Not caring that much about that, he shuffled carefully to the pile of berries. He examined the various berries, and to his happiness, he recognized every sort. There were strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, and to his delight, red gooseberries.

He picked up a strawberry and looked at it deliciously before putting it in his mouth. He chewed it slowly, savouring the sweet and juicy taste of the ripe berry; he wanted to have his last happy moments of life, so he decided to eat them slowly. When he swallowed the berry he felt it make it down his throat and down in his stomach. He hoped it wouldn't fancy emptying itself anymore this night.

He heard another gulp coming from Plum's direction. The Scyther had swallowed a piece of his own berries, which he had lined up on his scythe. Bill saw him picking up another berry, a blueberry this time, with his mouth, and chewed it happily. His eyes where closed while he chewed, but Bill could see that the Scyther was really enjoying those berries.

Bill focused on his own share of berries, wondering which he should pick next. He picked up a raspberry and a blueberry and stuffed them both in his mouth. The mixed taste of the sweet blueberry and the raspberry with the slight bitter aftertaste made him feel relaxed.

'Do you like them?'

Bill jerked his head up, looking at Plum who had spoken.

"Yeah, these berries are delicious. Where did you find them?"

Plum looked at him slyly. 'It's my secret berry place in this forest. It's very well hidden from the others.' He ate another berry, this time a gooseberry

Knowing that it would be rude to press the Scyther where the berries where located, Bill decided to change the subject slightly. "Well, you seem to like berries too, a little bit."

'A little?' said Plum, taken aback. 'I love berries! They're sweet, and tasty, and, and, makes me happy!' he exclaimed, raising his scythes in joy, smiling. But doing so caused the berries he had lined up on his scythe get thrown away. 'No! Blast it!' he lightly cursed under his breath.

Bill found that amusing and chuckled lightly, trying to hold back his laughter.

'Are you laughing at me, human?' Plum threatened, his attitude changed.

"Uhh, no, I was just coughing, yeah, that's right coughing," excused Bill, making a couple of fake coughs.

'Yeah, right,' Plum muttered, walking up to Bill to take some of the berries.

"Hey, come on. It was funny, you have to admit. I mean, you were like 'whee!' and threw those berries away! It was totally priceless!" he said while faking coughs to hide his snickers. Plum ignored it and scooped up some berries with his scythe, walking back to his spot afterwards. To Bill's despair, Plum had chosen to take almost every of his favourite, the red gooseberries.

"Well, we talked about you liking berries, heh. What would you choose? Me or the berries?" he asked, trying to identify the Scyther further.

'I didn't understand that question, could you be more definite, human?'

"Well, uh, would you rather eat me instead of berries, or vice versa?"

Plum gave him a smile; still it was not one of those malicious smiles he had seen before. It was more like an encouraging smile. 'I'd actually prefer the berries. I don't fancy the idea Firzé arranged for you,' he answered. His last word was a little muffled since he picked up a red gooseberry with his mouth.

"Really, and why is that?" asked Bill.

'I think it's wrong to do that to you, of course you were a little too heavy-handed with Ace. But I say he deserved it! Going around, thinking he could do everything… he's still a kid! And besides that, I'm not into eating meat and such… eh, I mean…' He quickly realized he had given himself away, and kept his mouth shut.

"What? You're not carnivorous? How come you aren't? I mean, you are a predator, I mean, eh…" Bill was speechless and couldn't find the words, but it upset the Scyther nevertheless, since he noticed that Plum had dropped the berries.

'IT'S NONE OF YOUR FRICKING BUSINESS!' roared Plum, glaring furiously at Bill. He could almost sense a bit of sadness in that scream, but he wasn't sure. The only thing that occurred to him was that he had probably angered this Scyther too much.

He didn't say anything for a while, he didn't even dared to touch the berries anymore. He assumed that Plum had probably had a terrible past, or something. So he waited a while before speaking again.

"You know, P-Plum, I'm sorry for t-trying to bring up your p-past… I didn't-"

'Don't worry, human,' interjected Plum, sounding much calmer again. 'I overreacted a bit.'

"Yeah, some are easily affected by their past. But, hey, I'm probably the only human that you'll converse with properly since I understand what you say, right?"

'I guess so,' mumbled Plum, scooping up the berries he had dropped. 'Firzé and most of the others are bashing me for refusing to eat meat. At least Vanilla and Blade understand me, but the rest of them grab every opportunity to make fun of me, even Ace.' He sighed once, looking up at the sky. Before continuing, he stuffed his mouth full of the rest of the berries he had on his scythes, chewing greedily.

'It's my choice of lifestyle! Why can't they accept that? It's just because of Firzé going on and on with his stupid "no meat, no power" crap! I loathe it!' he whined, licking his scythes clean after some berry juice that had stained them. 'I want to go home… where I was before.'

"Where is your home, Plum?" asked Bill. He had a perfect opportunity now, as soon as he could get the Scyther's trust, he'd be able to escape. Plum didn't seem to be that loyal to his swarm, and there had to be a reason.

Plum drew a couple of breaths before speaking. 'Since they're going to kill you off anyway,' he mumbled.

"Excuse me?" inquired Bill.

Plum stared deeply into his eyes. 'You want to hear my story?'

He nodded eagerly; things could probably not get any better than this…

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

A/N

Hot cheese in my coffee! Another chapter split! And what's worse, I missed my deadline! My deepest apologies! For now, I'll be gone next week, so the next deadline will be set at a longer time (at my Profile page) until then, give me a little review… please?


	15. Plum's Story

_**Chapter 14**_

Actually, by looking at the stats page it says that I've gotten reviews for chapter 10-14, but honestly, I know I haven't for the updates. I know that there are people reading it, and I know there's someone who can't review since one can't review a chapter twice. Anyhow… it just feels like no one actually reads it.

I mean, this story has soon passed the 100k boundary for Christ's sake! And it's probable the 100k story with the least reviews (And the slowest progress of storyline)! Anyhow, the chapters ARE long, yes, but I don't know how I manage to do that… I keep procrastinating the plot all the time!

'Did you honestly think that I'd let you tempt me with the wonderful sweetness of these blessed fruits?' – Plum the Scyther.

* * *

"**_Plum's Story"_**

Plum stared blankly at the ground. He drew a couple of breaths before speaking, he was about to tell Bill his story of why he was the one he was. He looked up from the ground, meeting Bill's curious look.

Bill knew that this was his chance of survival, if he could get that Scyther's trust or, better yet, friend ship, he would help him out of the forest. All he had to do was to listen and sympathize.

'Well,' started Plum, swallowing once, 'I… I… first lived… in…' Plum looked down, sighing. All this brought back terrible memories which he wanted to forget. 'I can't do this, human,' he said quietly.

"What do you mean you can't do this?" asked Bill, already impatient. He had noted that this Scyther was nicer, but he really wanted to know.

'It's just that... that… it brings back… memories, you know…' said Plum lowly, shivering a little. To calm himself down a little, he scooped up a strawberry and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it slowly. Bill also picked up some berries of his share, mostly blackcurrants this time, and ate them.

'I lived in Johto before,' Plum said suddenly, 'In Ilex Forest,' he then whispered.

"Where, you said?" questioned Bill, not hearing quite well.

'In ILEX FOREST!' Plum yelled. He looked down again, shaking. Those memories… he already regretted having revealed the little background of him.

Bill flinched. The sudden yelling from the Scyther scared him. Of course he knew that Plum was upset over something, but he didn't know what he was upset over.

'In Ilex… there was another swarm, in other words, most of this swarm is part of that swarm. There… there was a quarrel between the leader there and Firzé.' He made a pause, swallowing a couple of times. 'The quarrel was about evolution… the leader was actually for evolution while Firzé wasn't, he was second in command back then.'

Bill almost didn't have any clue what this Scyther was talking about, and his interest began to drop. He picked up some blueberries and threw them into his mouth. He enjoyed the taste briefly, knowing that the berries wouldn't last forever.

'They split up at first, and divided the territory. In the north side of Ilex resided the ones who were against revolution, and in the south side resided the ones who were for it. Strange thing is, that the ones who were against it, were also placed in that territory due to being carnivorous.'

"Excuse me, but I don't quite follow, Plum," said Bill suddenly. Plum sighed.

'Then open your ears and listen for once!' He picked up a tiny raspberry with his scythe and tossed it swiftly at Bill's face, which made him flinch.

"Hey, sorry, I just meant I don't understand the rules in your swarm in Johto!" he objected.

Plum ignored that, and continued on. 'Anyhow, it didn't take long until both swarms realized that Ilex wasn't big enough for both swarms, so a big fight started.' He swallowed once, taking a deep breath. 'And as you could figure, Firzé's swarm lost. We were banished from the forest, and, as unbelievable as it may sound, flew all the way to Kanto. Well, we didn't exactly fly all the way; we took a pause on almost every island we came over. And there weren't many islands on the sea between this region and Johto.'

Bill had listened intensively, but there was something that bugged him. He decided to take the risk and ask.

"So, Plum, you said you weren't carnivorous, right? Then how come you're here? Are you against evolution then?"

Plum looked down, staying silent for a while.

'I'm for it…' he finally said, 'and as you might guess, I was never supposed to be in this swarm. The leader in Ilex had banished me to them, and Lazto had framed me for eating a dead Rattata. That wasn't true, but no one believed me. Probably because… because…'

"Because of what, Plum, what?" Bill sounded very impatient; he had planned to pretend being sympathetic, but he really found Plum's story a little bit interesting.

'Dammit, human! Why do keep pressing me all the time? It's because I wasn't born in the swarm in the first place!' he yelled. Bill noticed that Plum's eyes were sparkling a little. Was that a sign of tears? 'The first thing I saw when I hatched was a human! I looked up to him so much, you know. He even gave me my name!' he blurted out; there was a slight pain in his voice.

"He named you Plum? How come?" asked Bill, trying to sound interested.

'It's a rather funny story. My trainer had been buying some fruit one day, and since I still was a kid, I was curious. I wanted to see what kind of fruit he had bought. It turned out to be plums, and I accidentally pulled it down on the floor. He didn't get mad though, he actually laughed and called me Plum, since he thought I had a special liking to that fruit.' He smiled at that memory, but went sombre right after.

'But you know… one day… I was still young, you know. He… he… he abandoned me…' Plum looked down again as tiny droplets of tears dropped down on the ground. 'We, we were in Ilex Forest, and he had entered their territory… he… he actually used me as a diversion and ran away while I tried to fend them off.'

Bill just stared. He could feel a sudden rush of guilt inside him, here he had been planning on feeling sympathetic, and this Scyther was blurting out a story like this. But if he'd pity Plum, he would see through him, and probably not talk to him anymore.

'They had me surrounded… and I noticed he wasn't there anymore… I… I waited for them to kill me… but as you might see…' He swallowed again. 'They didn't.'

"How come?" said Bill, this time his voice was more sympathetic, mostly because he really pitied that Scyther.

'The leader saw that I was just a kid… and thought that I might have not been too "corrupted" by those humans as he said. He got easier when he learned that I had only been eating fruits and such. And a week later, I passed the test of becoming one with the swarm.' He smiled again, must've been a slightly happy memory too.

Then he frowned again. 'But I already had enemies. A lot of them were sceptical about me, and they didn't like that I had sworn the Ilex Oath to the leader.'

"Ilex Oath? What's that?" asked Bill in sheer curiosity.

Plum put his scythe before his mouth, as if making a "hush" motion. 'If I told you, I would break it, and much the same goes for the Viridian Oath, which I was forced to take. Firzé told me that when we left Ilex, I had already broken my former oath, but inside, I know I haven't.'

Bill felt like changing the subject slightly. "Is there something you miss in Ilex?"

Plum looked down, and took various deep breaths again. Bill heard a faint sound of snivelling coming from the mantis's direction. He knew he had reached a sensitive section of his story.

'This is why I'm here. You see, in Ilex, there was this Scyther named Skye. She… she… really cared for me when I still was new. She… she taught me how to live properly in the wild. That wasn't hard; I was still young, so it was easier for me to learn. She showed me the greatest berry places in Ilex too.' Plum sighed once, looking up at the starry sky. Bill could see something very thin and shiny run down Plum's face. It was clear to him that Plum was crying.

'Even though I was young, I started to get feelings for her. And you know what? She pretty much fancied me too… she was a little older than me, but not much.' Plum shook his head fast, trying to shake the tears off his face, and then looked at Bill. 'The problem was that she had a brother who was older, and he happened to be one of my enemies, Lazto.'

"Did he try to kill you?" questioned Bill, enthralled by the story.

'No, if he did that he would violate the oath. I told you that he had framed me, human, he hated me for having had a human trainer. He, among of everybody else who were sceptical, thought that I would double cross the swarm by dragging trainers in, capturing them all. Well, that's what he thought, most of the other ones looked down at me, as if I had a lower status. Can't blame them… after all, the first thing I saw when I hatched was a human,' said Plum waving his scythes a little.

"They still call you Plum, how is that? It sounds kinda girly to me…" pointed Bill out, smiling awkwardly.

'Hey, watch it!' snapped Plum a little playfully. 'They decided that I could keep that name… said that it fitted… being the soft and sweet one.' He made a funny grimace. 'Anyhow, Lazto took me to the border of the south eastern territory and the northern territory, where one of the Scythers there had killed a Rattata.'

Plum looked at Bill with disgust. 'Lazto wanted me to violate the oath so I would be banished from south eastern Ilex.' He sighed once, showing a disgusted look on his face. 'Two of them held me still, while the third tried to force feed the Rattata to me. Lazto just stood there, watching it all.' Plum swung his scythe down to the ground. He had stopped crying, and was angrier.

'But they never succeeded doing that. I tried to wiggle myself free, but I couldn't. I…I… threw up in front of the one who tried to force feed me,' he snarled, 'they then got another idea, the one who held the Rattata dropped it on the ground and walked up behind me. Before I knew it, he rammed into me, and the other two let me go instantly. I was sent flying right on top of the rat.' Plum gagged once, feeling sick.

'That bastard Lazto smiled. His plan had been successful. He dashed off to the south eastern part as soon as he saw my face covered in that blood. The northern Ilex Scythers smiled at their accomplishment, and dashed off to their grounds.' Plum looked at Bill, seeing him disgusted too.

'I hurried… to the closest lake and tried to wash the blood off. But… when… when I came back to south eastern Ilex… it turned out that Lazto had already… told the leader of what he had 'seen'. He still felt the scent of blood in my face, I was banished from south eastern Ilex… and I was taken to northern Ilex.'

Bill noticed how tense Plum was by now. But he was still wondering why the Scyther was telling all this, even if he was to be killed.

'Firzé was the leader of northern Ilex, and he was almost overjoyed to have me in his swarm. If there was someone who hated humans, then it was him… and seeing that I had a human trainer... he took every opportunity to be mean to me.'

Bill took a deep breath before interjecting. "Well, you seem to behave a little more, ehm, humane than the others." After saying that, Plum began to snuffle and sob again.

'That was why Firzé kept putting me down, saying that I behaved like a human, and therefore was worth less than the rest.' Plum stopped the sobbing, smiling slightly. 'But I still snuck away to the western part of Ilex, where Skye and I secretly met. I really appreciated that she took the risk meeting me.' Plum chuckled lightly, remembering some happy times despite having been banished from his swarm.

'I remember when Skye and I were attacked by some irate Ledyba and Butterfrees which were annoyed of our silly antics. They mostly went for me, but we warded them off pretty easily, and we weren't that injured. We laughed at them when they took off. Days passed, and we secretly met each other almost everyday.' Plum then frowned. 'Until Lazto found out about it, he had probably gotten suspicious over Skye when she snuck away to the west part of Ilex. He actually threatened to kill me that day, but Skye stood up for me, and confronted her brother. I never saw her after that day… until _that_ day…' Plum looked up at the sky again, sighing a couple of times.

"What day?" inquired Bill.

Plum sighed once again, looking down. He shuddered before speaking. 'You remember the big fight I told you about? It was called the Battle of Ilex… some were even killed that day… and… and… Lazto almost killed me. If… if… it weren't for Skye… I'd be dead. She… she deflected the killing blow. He got mad at her… and slapped her hard… enraged… I attacked… aiming for his face.' Plum stopped, staying completely silent. He stared at blankly at the ground.

"Did you kill him?"

'NO, I DIDN'T!' yelled Plum, exasperated. 'I wished that I had, but my aim was off, and I sliced him across his eye. In fear… I ran away from him… fearing what he would do to me. I made him lose his right eye… but it actually felt good… after all the things he had done to me…'

Bill just stared, imagining how it must've looked like.

'But quite shortly after that… we surrendered… or mostly, Firzé surrendered. The leader of south eastern Ilex had evolved before the fight, and that gave him an advantage in strength.' Another sigh left Plum's mouth. 'But the leader decided to spare us… and banish us from the forest. I had nothing against it… had we won… Firzé would've forced me to kill off Skye… so it didn't really matter whether I won… or lost… I'd still lose Skye. That's it, human, that's my story…' After that, Plum broke down, letting the tears flow. He took out some of his rage by slashing at the tree behind him, but he then sat down and snuffled more.

'Hey, human,' he said, looking at Bill. 'Could you… you please help me with something?' He got to his feet, cutting off another branch with leaves on. 'Could you… could you come here?' he requested.

"What? Why?" replied a flabbergasted Bill. "I don't think that's safe… you could get the idea of killing me…"

Plum sighed in frustration. 'No, I have not injured a human in my entire life! Why would I do it now? It's just that I… I… need a little help with sneezing…' He looked down, as if blushing. Bill coughed slightly.

"What? Can't you do that yourself? Sheesh!" he muttered. The Scyther then lifted his scythes, showing them to Bill.

'Well, how easy do think it is to use those leaves with these?' he complained with a shrill voice. Bill admitted defeat and got to his feet, walking hesitantly towards the Scyther. 'Just grab a handful of those leaves and hold them against my muzzle,' Plum instructed. 'It feels really stuffed.'

Bill did what Plum told him to, after all, he had brought him those berries do he was just returning a favour. He held the leaves against Plum's muzzle and prayed that he wouldn't get anything on his hand.

Then Plum blew his muzzle, and it emitted a pretty loud and funny sound too. He repeated the process one more time, making sure he had cleared it completely. Bill, on the other hand, had gotten some of the somewhat slimy stuff on his hands. Disgusted, he tried to dry his hand on the ground after having thrown the leaves away.

He glanced at Plum, seeing that he had a guilty look on his face. That actually convinced Bill that the Scyther really had had a trainer. He seemed very humane.

"Heh, you really do act a little human, don't you?" he said simply, only to receive a 'whatever' look from Plum.

The Scyther inhaled freely through his nostrils, feeling relieved after being temporarily stuffed. Bill sighed at the sight. After having failed drying off the snot from his hand, he dried it off on his pants by reflex. He immediately regretted that mistake, and sighed again.

"You really had to blow that hard, huh?"

'My trainer used to help me with that when my muzzle was stuffed,' said Plum, not listening to what Bill said just before. 'When I was little… that is,' he added.

Bill rolled his eyes, and decided to go back to his spot.

'Wait.'

Bill looked over his shoulder, seeing the Scyther staring him straight into his eyes. The mantis had a happy look on his face.

'Would you mind… if… you could…' Plum hesitated, wondering if Bill would react angrily towards what he was about to say. 'I mean… could you sit here instead?' He pointed to next to himself.

Bill raised his eyebrows, "What? And why the hell do you want me to do _that_?" he asked promptly. Plum looked down a little.

'You know… it's nice to have someone to talk with. And you're a human…and you understand me. It makes the time fly.'

Bill thought for a moment, even though Plum had been nice to him, he was still a beast of prey. "How do I know I can trust you? You should actually despise me after what your trainer did to you. How do I know that as soon as I get in striking range, you'll kill me?"

'So you honestly think that just because my trainer left me, I hate human beings, hmm? How simpleminded do you think I am? And I know you're aware of that you actually will fight Firzé, and therefore must save your strength until then. If I even lay a scratch on you, I'm dead.' Plum smiled. 'Or are you afraid that I might bite?'

Bill sighed again and approached Plum, whose face lit up in gleefulness.

'Yay, thanks!' he exclaimed, raising both scythes in joy.

Bill walked up hesitantly, and slowly sat down next to the mantis. His stomach tingled in uncertainness, and his heart was beating at a rapid pace. Even though he had actually had Firzé on top of him last time he encountered him with Jon, he still felt very nervous sitting next to Plum. What if he accidentally made a sudden movement, which would trigger one of Plum's natural reflexes?

'_C'mon, stay cool… stay cool,'_ he mentally told himself, taking a few deep breaths.

'How about you, human?' inquired Plum, staring curiously into Bill's eyes, 'What's your name?'

Bill raised his eyebrows again, "My name, err." He held back a little, but then thought it over. It would be nice to be called something else than "human" all the time. "It's Bill," he answered.

'Bill?' Plum tilted his head to the side, still staring him in the eyes. 'Bill…' he repeated strangely, 'such an odd name…' he mused. 'Well, anyways, it'll do.'

"It's actually nice for a change… getting called human gets tiring after a while. Don't you find it annoying when everyone calls you Scythers?" he then asked.

Plum shook his head. 'Nah, we're pretty much used to it… most kinds are actually,' he explained.

Bill stayed silent, looking up at the sky. He thought about his plan of escape. He was certain that he had gained some trust from the Scyther, but he knew it wasn't enough of it. What was even worse was that if he managed to escape, Plum would pay the consequences. And after hearing a story like that, he didn't have the guts to run away when he had the chance.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sniffing sound. It came from Plum, who apparently was checking Bill's scent.

'Hmm, you smell strange, Bill,' he first said. Bill snapped his head to Plum's direction, looking at him suspiciously. 'You don't smell like an ordinary human.' The Scyther looked at him in confusion, as if expecting an answer.

"That's probably because I've been around with you too much!" he quickly excused. But Plum wasn't about to give up that easily, since he noticed that Bill seemed nervous.

'Bill, what are you? You understand us, you confront us, and you even knocked down Amber and Hunter of what I heard. What… are you?' There was a touch of worry in that voice, almost a bit of uncertainness.

"I'm a human!" claimed Bill, not wanting to reveal the truth about what he was. But Plum just growled in impatience.

'Don't lie to me, Bill, even though Ace is a kid, it's still pretty impressive that you beat him and broke his wing!'

Bill sighed in defeat, and decided to tell the Pokémon what he was. After all, humans didn't understand what they said, so the secret would be safe as long as Plum stayed silent. "Well, you see, it's kind of strange, almost freaky if you ask me. I'm not a psychic whatsoever, but-"

'Just get to the point, Bill!' interrupted Plum impatiently. Bill sighed.

"Okay… to cut a long story short, I'm some kind of a Pokémon! Happy now?" he admitted bluntly.

Plum stared at him as if he was a ghost. It seemed that he didn't want to believe that either, but somehow he knew it was the truth in some way.

'That… is strange, Bill, but you do smell different indeed,' he then said, sniffing Bill a little more. 'But you look like a human to me. Where do you come from, Bill?'

Bill somehow felt the urge to blurt out "I am simply god of this world, my little weakling! I am the saviour of this pitiful world! IT IS MY DUTY TO DO GOOD THINGS!". He smiled inwardly at that, if he said that, he would be declared a lunatic and be locked up in a mental asylum for a couple of decades or so.

He tried to think up a good excuse of why he was the one he was. If he told Plum that he was from another world, he'd only be questioned too much of his original whereabouts. If he said that he was from the heaven, he would blaspheme. Not that he believed much in any religion, but if this world had some kind of religious teachings, he didn't want to mess with them.

He then thought of Team Rocket, and Mewtwo. That organization was a perfect scapegoat for this! He gave himself a mental pat on the back, rewarding his ability to come up with lies.

"You see," he started, trying to keep a straight face, "it was a weird science organization which created me, and they actually wanted me to work for them. Meh, I escaped from them one day, and they even think I'm dead," he told Plum, who listened carefully. "Most of my abilities exceed humans, but that isn't enough. I can enter and exit the status of a Pokémon inside me, so I won't accidentally fire off an attack when I'm with humans."

'Bill,' started Plum, sounding both serious and confused, 'this is very bad. If humans are created like this… it will disturb the nature… I… I don't know how it will end up.'

"Don't worry, Plum, before I escaped, I trashed the machine. And I also destroyed the blueprints for it," he lied. Well, of course the story was a lie, but it still felt stupid in one way.

'I don't follow one bit, Bill. How I recall it, you're the only experiment, right?' Bill nodded. 'But you're hanging out with humans, aren't you? And what if they… learn your secret?'

"That's why I want you to keep quiet, if they get to know it, they will hunt me, and try to catch me! Please, even if your life is depending on it, you mustn't tell anyone, you understand!" Bill looked at Plum sternly.

'Okay, I promise I'll keep quiet. But it's still strange, you look like a human.'

"Yes, but when I'm not in the Pokémon status, I can't understand what you're saying though. I can't even use any of my attacks either."

'This is so confusing… I think my head hurts,' Plum whined. 'But even if you're stronger than an ordinary human, I still doubt you'll defeat Firzé. He's very strong, if not a little too strong.'

Grabbing the opportunity, Bill used that comment to change the subject. "What's his problem anyway? He tried to kill me first time I saw him!"

Plum didn't object to the change of subject, so he decided to answer Bill's question. 'I don't really know, but I know that he really hates humans, if not entirely loathing them. No one in this swarm knows why, but I think leader in Ilex knows why.'

"Well, not that I'd talk to him anyway," muttered Bill. "Speaking of Ilex, you said you didn't eat meat, did you? You are predators judging by the looks and nature, so how did you survive?" he questioned.

Plum looked away slightly, as if blushing. 'Well, heh, of course there was a lot of fruit and such in Ilex, and grass worked well too. But sometimes we used to, eh, 'borrow' food from journeying humans who trespassed to close to the territory. Of course we didn't injure them, just scaring them off.'

"I see… but what if another Pokémon attacked you? Were you allowed to kill them… or would it violate the oath?"

'Of course not. As long as you didn't kill for meat, and only in self defence you didn't break any rules.'

After getting that piece of information, Bill decided to move to the next phase of his plan.

"What do you think of the kidnapping of the Pikachu?" he then asked a little too interrogatively. Plum looked at him strangely.

'Why are you jumping between different topics all the time? It's hard for me to follow! Are you planning something, Bill?' he questioned. Bill already felt that his plan was on the way to failure, but he had to keep a straight face.

"No, I'm not planning anything, Plum. I was just wondering," he excused yet again. "But you must promise me one thing," he suddenly said, his looks very stern, "You must not tell anyone of my status, not anyone! You got that?" Plum nodded.

'Why do you hope of defeating Firzé? Even if you do, the rest of them will attack you. And you won't stand against all of them.'

"Don't worry, I'll think of something." He tried to change the subject again. "What's the point with this territory thing anyways, it seems so pointless to me!" he blurted out.

'There is a point!' he snapped. 'We don't want to be captured by the humans! And when we're together, outnumbering them, they won't even dare to catch us!' he explained. 'But I don't think if I want to be in this game anymore… but Firzé would never allow me to leave this forest… I want to be in my true home in Johto, and if I'm to be caught, so be it, I'll never obey my new master!' Plum looked down, starting to sob again.

Bill gave the mantis a look of pity. Without thinking, he carefully extended his hand and patted Plum lightly on his shoulder as if trying to comfort him. The Scyther immediately turned his head, staring viciously into Bill's eyes. He promptly withdrew his hand, fearing that Plum would attack him.

But shortly after he had done that, Plum smiled happily. He reached out with his scythe, and gently patted Bill on his back. Bill flinched at first when Plum had reached out with his scythe, but he came to his senses when he just patted him back. Luckily for Bill, Plum knew how to pat correctly, using the flat of his scythe.

Then Plum began to sniff at him again. This annoyed Bill, since he didn't like when someone/something sniffed him.

'It really is strange, Bill. You smell mostly like a human, and yet, when I think it over, you don't.' Plum withdrew his scythe from Bill, turning away his head to look at the starry sky. Bill just sighed briefly when the scythe wasn't patting his back anymore. He looked at the ground where Plum was sitting. He could actually see a pair of those delicious red gooseberries. He carefully reached out to snatch one of them while the Scyther looked away.

The flat side of a scythe smacked his hand when he was just some centimetres away from the berries. When he looked up at Plum, he saw him waving his other scythe in a left-right motion.

'Hands off my berries, Bill!' he threatened, picking up the two gooseberries with his left scythe.

"Hey, come one, you could at least share some of those berries!" complained Bill, only to receive a light snarl from Plum.

'Your share is over there, Bill.' Plum pointed with his right scythe at the spot where Bill had been sitting before, 'I told you I like berries! Did you honestly think that I'd let you tempt me with the wonderful sweetness of these blessed fruits?' Even though the mantis sounded serious, there was still a small hint of joke in that short speech.

"Blessed? Aren't you exaggerating it a little? I just happen to like those berries you have there, can I just have one?" he begged, really wanting at least one of those red gooseberries.

Plum hesitated, still balancing the berries on his scythe. 'Actually, I want them myself. I like them too,' he softly said, examining the two berries. The Scyther noticed when Bill made another attempt on snatching a gooseberry. Having had enough, Plum promptly stuffed both berries in his mouth, chewing them with a mischievous smile as if saying "too late".

Bill's mouth was slightly open in a sign of disappointment and sudden shock. But he was also upset over that Plum had eaten those berries for himself, like a five year old.

"You really had to do that, didn't you, you greedy bug," he grumbled lightly. Plum heard that and stuck his tongue out, teasing Bill.

'Bleh, I needed them myself for cheering up.'

"But those berries were one of my favourites!" Upon saying that, Bill got prodded by Plum's scythe. The mantis still had that little playful look in his eyes, as if he thought Bill reminded of his old trainer. Not long after he had been prodded, he felt the same scythe rest against his shoulder. Plum had been careful when he had moved it to that position, making sure that he wouldn't cut anything on Bill.

Wondering why the Scyther did this, Bill shrugged lightly. He did feel uncomfortable at first, but then relaxed since he still knew that no Scyther would kill him before the showdown between Firzé and him. He slowly reached out with his hand to rest it on Plum's shoulder. But when he finally rested his hand on it, Plum suddenly turned his head to look at him fiercely.

Probably a pure reflex, since he quickly calmed down, looking friendlier.

"Did you and your trainer use to do this?" Bill then asked, trying an approach. Plum sighed deeply, thinking a little.

'Well,' he said first, shuffling a little closer to Bill, 'I looked up to him, he used to play games with me and such, but never bothered with training. He still lived at his home… until that day.' Plum was close enough to Bill so he could rest his head on Bill's shoulder. This caught Bill off guard, but he tried to remain calm.

"I see what you mean, Plum. But why are you leaning against me?"

Plum chuckled shortly. 'Even though you're not fully human, you still remind me of him…'

"Have you ever thought of running away? I could train you," Bill requested. This only caused Plum to cry again, letting most of the tears run down on his shoulder.

'Why don't you understand, Bill?' he said between his weeping. 'I told you that Firzé would especially never let me leave the forest! If I run away, they will seek me out before I'm at a safe distance.'

"Have you tried?" questioned Bill.

'Yes!' snapped Plum, 'I have! I let a trainer catch me one time. I never thought it would've been so easy to get away from them. But no, the swarm paid him a little visit the same night, threatening to kill him if he didn't release me the next day. You can't imagine how much trouble I went through after that!'

Bill recalled the story the doctor in Viridian City told him about a trainer who had attempted to catch a Scyther.

"I'm curious about the Pikachu!" He immediately changed the subject, wanting some actual pieces of information.

Plum looked at him annoyingly, thinking that Bill wasn't listening at all. 'If that is so important to you, I'll tell you!' he snarled in an annoyed tone. 'The rat's located over there; it's not far from here. But even if you manage to sneak away it's no use. He's being guarded as well, only to meet his doom. I do pity his trainer, she actually did defend herself…' Plum had pointed to a direction, and Bill remembered it.

"Sorry…" replied Bill weakly, feeling guilty and almost exposed. "I was just wondering…"

'Just wondering, huh?' Plum repeated, resting his head against Bill's shoulder again. 'Your life is going to end in a matter of hours, Bill. Are these your final ponderings? I don't think Edge would want to exchange any words with you after my shift is over.'

Bill was mostly speechless, not knowing what to say.

'You thought I'd help you out after you had listened to my story, Bill? Is that what it all was about? But even if I wanted to, I can't help you. They'd detect it before we had left the forest. It's no use, Bill, no use. I don't want to be marked for treason… I don't want to… die, Bill. Maybe I have to live like they do; maybe I have to adapt their lifestyle.' Plum's voice seemed to sound tired, and his voice turned into mumbles after a while.

Wanting to speak more with Plum, he brought up the first thing he could think of.

"The sky is really beautiful, Plum," he said out of the blue, "don't you think?"

Plum tilted his head slightly upwards, still resting on Bill's shoulder. 'Mm, I like the moon. It's beautiful,' he mumbled. Bill already noticed that this Scyther was tired. If he just could put it to sleep somehow.

"Did you and your trainer watch the night sky before?" he asked. Plum mumbled something lowly, Bill never heard what he said.

"Will you watch the battle, Plum?" he asked, waiting for the Scyther to fall asleep.

But Plum then snapped up, shaking his head quickly to wake himself up.

'Almost fell asleep there,' he mused, turning to Bill. 'I think I will… but don't expect me to cheer for you. Firzé has gotten very strong lately… I'm scared, Bill. What if he decides to reclaim Ilex? What if he winds up every Scyther to kill humans? What if-'

"Don't get all worked up, Plum," interrupted Bill. "I don't really think Firzé is _that_ strong. After all, I saw him getting downed by a Caterpie." Plum coughed lightly.

'As if that happened…' said Plum, rolling his eyes.

"But it's true! When he tried to kill it, it tackled him on his leg, throwing him off balance. He fell flat on his face!" Bill explained. But Plum kept his doubtful gaze, but it later turned to a look of wonder.

'If that happened, he must have been dishonoured. But none of us has seen it, so that must be why Firzé wants you dead.'

"No, he wanted me dead before that."

'Bill,' Plum then said, prodding him again, 'I think you should sleep so you're fully rested when you fight, don't you think? You should walk back to your regular spot, if they ever find out about this, I'm a dead Scyther.'

Bill did what he was told to, walking back to his usual spot where he sat down. He knew this Scyther wasn't going to give in to him now. While Plum did hate this swarm, he was still loyal to it, must be in their mindset or something. He looked at the Scyther, who looked back at him, waiting for him to fall asleep.

'Go on, Bill, go to sleep,' ordered Plum softly, still eyeing him.

"You don't want to talk anymore?" Bill asked.

'No!' snapped Plum, raising his scythes. 'I don't want to take anymore risks! The others might hear us talking! And I don't want to be accused of being too sympathetic to humans! I'm already on thin ice, now you get to sleep!' Plum demanded. 'UNDERSTOOD?' he bellowed.

Bill didn't answer to that, due to respecting the only Scyther who had been really nice to him. He lay down on the ground as comfortable as possible. He curled into a ball, trying to keep as warm as possible. He didn't close his eyes, since he was thinking too much to fall asleep. He thought about how he would fight Firzé, how he would escape. And lastly about the Pikachu of course, he had remembered the direction Plum had pointed to.

Plum looked at Bill, he already seemed to be asleep. He pitied, the human Pokémon, he reminded slightly of his former trainer. He got an idea for himself. He did feel tired himself, if there was someone who lacked sleep, it was him. He thought that while the human was sleeping, it'd be safe to take a little nap. That would do him well, so he would be at a better mood in the morning.

He rested against the tree, relaxing. He slowly closed his eyes, knowing that the nap would only be for fifteen minutes or so. But when someone hasn't slept for a long while and one decides to take a nap, it is very likely that one will fall in a deep sleep.

Bill was lying on the ground curled into a ball, still thinking of various strategies he would use in the showdown. He knew that he had to use his fire status. But it then occurred to him that if he changed into the fire status, he'd be stronger, yes, but he'd be slower too. The Scythers were already too fast for him, so he had to use the style he was currently using.

Of course his ice status would increase his defence mostly, and a little offence. But that status would decrease his speed so he'd be slower than the fire status. No, he had to stick with the status he had now. That was probably his best bet. If he used his full lightning status, he'd only get weaker in both defence and offence. The only advantage to those bugs was fire, which was what he currently knew.

He slowly straightened out, not liking the position he was in. When he sat up, he saw Plum sleeping. In one way, his plan had worked! He chose to wait a little more before he would sneak away.

He studied Plum further. He really was sleeping deeply. He never intended on walking up to pat the Scyther lightly to see how deep he slept, he'd blow his only chance of survival. He got to his feet, heading to the direction Plum had pointed to.

But before he left, he cast a last glance at the Scyther. A rush of guilt flowed through his body. Great, just what he needed.

'_I'm sorry, Plum, but I want to survive. You were nice to me, but then, your species want me dead, and I want to get out of here.'_ With that, he left.

While he walked to where he hoped the Pikachu was, comments from Plum echoed in his head. The guilt refused to leave him; it kept tormenting him by constantly telling that he was using Plum's friendly behaviour for his own good. Maybe the Scyther was right after all…

He was like Plum's trainer, using him to survive…

He knocked it out of his head. Even if he had to train in this dimension to defeat this dimension travelling villain, nothing said that he was not allowed to use everything to his advantage.

He had to proceed with his plan. The first phase of his escape, to sneak away, was completed. Phase two was to locate the Pikachu. Why he needed to locate the Pikachu, was because it was very likely that the rodent could help him find his way back to Pewter.

As he walked, the words of Plum echoed one more time in his head…

_You know… it's nice to have someone to talk with…_

He felt a mental pain forming in his lungs. More guilt.

_And you'rea human… _the words echoed again.

His heart seemed to skip a beat at that…

_…And you understand me…_

His eyes got dry by now, and his breathing turned more rapid. To top it off, another one's voice echoed in his head, luckily it was just a sentence he remembered from a certain Scyther.

_I've always wondered how human meat tastes like…_

The sentence wasn't the exact one… but it helped him get Plum out of his mind. Friend or not, if he died that friend would have been worth absolutely nothing.

_**To be continued…

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**_

A/N

Wow… one chapter got split twice… I'm affected by a curse! This procrastinating… it haunts me every day…

Anyhow, I hope you find the time to review! Stay tuned for the next chapter, which deadline is set at April the 3rd!


	16. Consequences

_**Chapter 15**_

Wow… now I broke the chapter line to the amount from where I started the, uh, revising. I think there's some kind of glitch or something that has prevented readers to review… I think that's it. The weird thing is that I have procrastinated with the Scyther plot too much! And it was supposed to be a side plot… meh.

Yay! I got a review! Even though it told me why the reviewer wasn't going to read further, it's still a review! It really made my day…

"You gotta help me out of here, Pikachu!" – Bill Anderson

* * *

"**_Consequences" _**

The teenager made sure he didn't progress too fast through the forest, if he did he'd lose track of where the Pikachu was being kept. He hoped that the Scyther, Plum, had pointed to the right direction, but he began to doubt if it was the right direction. His plan was almost perfect anyway, when he would find that Pikachu, he would convince him to help him out of the forest. But if there was a Scyther watching over him, well, it would be taken care of.

But if he couldn't find that yellow rodent he'd be doomed instead. He didn't know how much time it was left on Plum's shift, and as soon it'd be over, they would punish Plum and go after him later.

When he thought about Plum, he felt dirty. That Scyther had showed him kindness enough for him to stop looking at the Scythers as killers. Of course they were predators, but Plum was special, since he had not eaten any meat in his entire life.

But then, that Scyther had taken care of him while he was feeling bad. He stopped walking, leaning his hand at a nearby tree, looking down. He remembered when Plum had gone away to pick those berries for him, he even remembered the proud look on Plum's face when he had returned with the berries. A tear formed in his left eye, running down his cheek.

He looked up, shaking his head quickly, trying to get a grip of himself. This was all about survival! He couldn't trust anyone! This world is different! And after his experiences with those mantises he knew they could especially not be trusted! He pounded his fist into the tree in anger and sorrow. He knew that he would be responsible of the death of Plum. If he made out of the forest, they would kill the Scyther, no doubt.

He started to walk again, but cast a glance from where he had come from every now and then. He bit his lip and inhaled deeply through his nostrils, trying to concentrate on where he was going. If he were to dispose of a dimensional travelling villain he had to put his pity aside. Not that he really wanted to do that, but he really wanted to go home… to his normal life.

Home… if he would ever make it, his life back home would never be the same. He would have no powers, but what if he had gotten too used to his abilities and couldn't get over it when he came home? Was his life already messed up at the instant he arrived to this world?

He suddenly got a strange, sinking feeling in his stomach. It must have been his confidence. If he couldn't beat a mantis, how would he even be able to defeat this dimensional travelling villain? He was weak, nothing but weak.

He mentally slapped himself. Master Zahn had told him to train, and that's what the other ones had done too. But he was unsure if he'd make it.

While he was walking he thought of the girl… or woman that he was supposed to find during this idiotic quest. Seek in restricted areas, had Master Zahn said. That would probably get him into more trouble, whether he wanted it or not. And thinking of the blood sample the nurse took from him in the PokéCentre! He sighed; at least he hoped that it wouldn't reveal his true nature.

He pried into his mind that he was certain that Plum would be punished either way even if Bill had stayed at his spot before. It was a fact, nothing other than that, pure fact. Some beings are just not meant to live that long, that's how it probably was in this world, he thought.

He walked for a while, unsure if he had kept a straight route or just having walked in a circle. A chill ran down his spine, causing him to shiver. He had suddenly thought of how it would turn out when they would catch Plum sleeping. It would not take long to sniff him out after that.

He suddenly stopped.

He heard distant voices coming from a direction not far away. He immediately recognized the voices from which Pokémon it came.

Scythers.

He got the feeling that it was all over. His heartbeats had gotten more rapid, and he seemed to sweat more than before. Despite this, he silently proceeded closer to where the voices came from. If they were this close, he was already dead, so it wouldn't hurt to eavesdrop.

'They call you Blade? What kind of a nickname is that?' one sneered. Bill was certain he hadn't heard that Scyther had spoken before, but he wasn't really sure since he faintly heard the sentence.

'You were always a wimp, Yaquést, but you will always belong to us. US!' he heard it snarl. 'And yet you're watching over this rodent. Well, no matter, it will serve as a good midnight snack-a-roo!'

Bill realized that he had found the Pikachu in one way, but it was also bad. Now his chances of survival were gone. But he snuck up closer, yet silently, since he was curious what these Scythers were babbling about.

'It amazed all of us when we found out you were here, Yaquést, or should I say Blade?'

'Shut up, Stryke!' snapped a Scyther, which probably was Blade/Yaquést. 'How did you know I was here?'

The Scyther, named Stryke chuckled. 'Yaquést, did you really think we Fuchsia Scythers were completely isolated, didn't you? But guess what, we aren't!'

Bill had crept up close enough to hide behind a bush so he could catch a glimpse of the Scythers. What he saw was a total of four Scythers. Blade was one of them, and the other three must've been those "Fuchsia Scythers". Two of them had one scythe each pointed at Blade, while the third stared at the Scyther.

'Why did you bother flying here?' asked Blade.

'As the great Sonar said: No one ever leaves Fuchsia, no one! Yaquést, we're sent to kill you, and the long trek here is surely worth it! Great Sonar can't stand deserters, and he feared that your act would influence other to desert as well. But once you're dead, other 'would-be' deserters will understand that it is completely futile to escape. But you're the only one who dared to desert us.'

Bill carefully made his way to a closer bush, making sure he wouldn't be seen. This was getting interesting, and he couldn't help his curiosity. He carefully looked through the bush, watching the conversation.

Blade tried to explain 'But, Stryke, you know I'd never make the cut! You're too-'

'Barbaric?' added Stryke, widening his eyes angrily. 'So you're saying that eating human flesh is barbaric?' Blade nodded. 'It has a purpose, Yaquést, it is enough for those worthless creatures to understand that they should take a distance form us.'

The Scyther on Blade's left side sighed. 'Look, Yaquést, you're given a final chance. You're a Fuchsia Scyther by heart, why don't you come back? It will be easier for you if you do.'

Blade looked down, only to meet the tip of a scythe. He seemed to shiver at first, but then jerked his head up, glaring at Stryke. 'I will never come back! I will never sink so low to kill a human for meat! That is weak!'

Stryke drew a deep sigh through his nostrils, shaking his head. He then walked up to the Scyther on Blade's right side and whispered something to him. Bill couldn't hear a thing, but it was probably something that didn't concern him anyway.

Stryke then turned to Blade. 'Yaquést, by uttering those words, it is proven that you are not a Fuchsia Scyther. And that means you have no HEART!' Upon saying the last word, Stryke drove his scythe powerfully through Blade's chest, stabbing the heart of the Scyther.

At the instant that happened, Bill quickly turned away, not wanting to look. That Scyther had just killed one of his own just like that, without hesitation. He cowered, covering his eyes with his hands, hearing the weak death cry of the Scyther. He heard yet another swipe coming from that direction; they had probably cut off something from Blade.

Bill mustered the courage to look at the Scythers again. He saw Blade lying down on the ground, bleeding a lot. But what really caught his attention was that the head was not where it should be…

It had been chopped off. And a puddle of blood began to form on the grassy ground. He felt sick.

'Now that that deserter has been taken care of, let's have a little snack time!' said Stryke a little gleefully.

The other Scyther licked her fangs, looking at the Pikachu who hadn't dared to run away.

'And that rodent is on the menu,' she said hungrily. 'You knew you couldn't run away, little rodent,' she then said to the Pikachu.

'But first,' said Stryke, jerking his head quickly to Bill's location, 'seize him! Quickly!' he demanded.

At the instant the Scyther shouted that, Bill knew he had been spotted. He cursed himself for forgetting the Scythers' superior sense of smell. But he still got scared out of his mind.

But that was nothing compared to when the third Scyther, whom he hadn't noticed gone away, darted out from a bush to the left of him. The Scyther didn't attack, but was close enough to strike him.

'Well, well, well. Why is a lone, stray human strolling in the forest at this late hour?'

Bill didn't answer; he had gotten shocked of the Scythers having exposed him already. The mantis waved his blade in front Bill's head, motioning him to walk up to the other two. But Bill was still fear stricken, and wondered what would happen next.

The Scyther sighed shortly and quickly moved behind Bill, prodding him with both scythes. 'Go on, you human filth, we are not the kind who likes to wait.'

Bill did what the Scyther probably wanted him to do, and walked up to the clearing where Stryke and the female Scyther were. He remembered the conversation between Firzé and Blade he heard when they first captured him, and if those really were the Fuchsia Scythers, he was in for more trouble. He started to feel uneasy when he neared the other two, and shivered when he saw the dead body of Blade.

'You nosy human,' spat Stryke, 'eavesdropping on us like that, hmm?' He looked at Bill angrily.

"Uh…" Bill didn't have much to say, but the Scyther immediately sighed afterwards.

'I forgot that you humans don't understand what we say.'

Bill realized that these Scythers didn't know that he understood what they said. Thinking that it'd be best to stay silent, he did so.

The Scythers gathered together and spoke lowly to each other.

'So, Stryke, you can speak human language, why not do that?' suggested the other male Scyther.

'No! I think we should eat him! He's of no use!' objected the female, casting a quick glance at Bill. 'He looks pretty juicy. And he doesn't seem to have any 'assistants' with him. It's a quick, easy meal!'

Stryke waved her off, smiling slightly. 'No, no, no. Jashie, he's from this region, so I could ask him some questions before we 'let him go', you know what I mean?' Stryke winked at her, showing a hint of slyness. 'After all, what is he doing outside the city walls this late anyway?'

'I see, Stryke,' said the male Scyther, whose name hadn't been revealed yet, 'the main course might prove himself useful… for a while.'

Bill hadn't heard much of what they had said. But he caught the two last sentences. He wondered what the Scyther meant with 'main course', he didn't know what it meant in his language. Maybe the mantis meant something about the route from Fuchsia, since he said 'course', but he also said 'himself'. Did he mean that he could lead them out of the forest?

He then saw Stryke walking up to him. He quickly thought if he should attack the Scyther, but quickly thought it over that it was not a good idea. He heard the Scyther clear his throat, as if to speak.

"So, human," said Stryke, speaking in a strange accent, "Vhy have you come tho the foresth of th, this?" It was apparent that this Scyther could speak the human language. It would've been very impressive, but it mostly made Bill laugh, especially when Stryke lisped at almost every "t", and pronounced every "w" as a "v" in the beginning of those words.

To hide his laughter, he coughed. But the Scyther seemed offended.

"Human, is there somethth… something funny abouth my… speech? Answer my questhion!"

Bill tried to get a hold of himself, thinking of what these Pokémon could do to him if he angered them too much. "I, eh, came for the Pikachu!" he exclaimed, only to receive a glare from the yellow mouse.

'I'm not yours, human!' he snarled, electricity sparking from his red dots on his cheeks. But the mouse stopped doing that after noticing the mantises threatening him.

"Sso," continued Stryke, "He doesn'th appears tho be yours."

"Well, not really, but his trainer, ehh." He thought quickly for a moment. "Eh, asked me to get him, since he had, um, gotten separated from her… somehow," Bill said, sweating nervously.

Jashie walked up to the mouse to make sure he wouldn't run away, and the Pikachu took the hint.

"Really? Did you meeth any other of our species?" asked Stryke eagerly.

"O-of course, but you're not one of them!" Bill replied promptly.

Stryke cast Bill a suspicious stare. "Howth didth you know ve're noth of th, this swarm?" he then asked.

Bill cursed himself inwardly. How could he be so stupid? Maybe he should tell the truth… or a little part of it.

"Well, uh, heh." He found it hard to speak, "the other swarm actually has me, uh, captive! And for now I am, eh, on the run from them, since they said that they will eat me at dawn." He felt very nervous while speaking to this mantis. He knew who they really were and what they ate. But what still concerned him was what the other Scyther meant with the 'main course'.

Stryke, however, gestured the other male Scyther to come. Before Bill knew it, the Scyther was behind him with his scythe very close to his neck.

"Now," said the human speaking Scyther slowly, "howth do you know thath? Can you untherstandth vhat they say?" he asked angrily.

Bill's heart rate had increased when the scythe had been placed so close to his neck, but he tried to remain calm.

"No, no, they had a human speaking with them too! But, you know, I really gotta go. I want to go home, you see, and-"

"No, no, no, human," Stryke interjected, walking up closer. "Sthay here vith us, ve really like human company."

'Hey, Stryke,' said the Scyther who held Bill in place, 'I'm getting hungry! Let's eat this human already!'

'Calm down, Brasswing, let us just get out as much information from the main course before we begin the preparations,' replied Stryke.

It was now Bill realized what the 'main course' meant. These Scythers _were _intended on eating him too, and if he even mentioned that, they would realize that he could understand their speech.

"What did he say?" he then asked, trying to remain in the dark.

"He said… eh… he said he's very impth... impathienth righth now," Stryke lied, but went back to the question he intended to ask. "Is ith thrue thath the other Scythers vill eath you?"

Bill nodded, wondering where this would be going. The talking Scyther let out a low chuckle.

'Hey, Brasswing, it really is true that Firzé will eat this human,' he said in his natural tongue.

'But didn't Yaquést tell us that they had never eaten a human before?' replied Brasswing, who still had embraced his other scythe around Bill's neck. Bill didn't like this and tried to wiggle himself free from the grip, but it only caused the Scyther to tighten the grip threateningly.

"Human, do noth sthruggle. He does noth like thath!" warned Stryke.

'Stryke, do you know what this means?'

Stryke nodded, 'Yes, Firzé and his pathetic minions don't know how to prepare human meat. They will end up with a mighty stomach-ache after they've eaten this human.' He chuckled again, imagining the sight of an entire swarm with stomach-ache. 'I bet they even think that this is the human's skin.'

Stryke positioned his scythe near Bill's throat, but held the cutting edge vertically down.

"Don'th you vorry, human, ith won'th hurth." With that, he quickly slid his blade down. Bill didn't feel any pain, but when he looked down, he saw no blood. It turned out that the Scyther had sliced his red shirt open, revealing his white t-shirt he had under it.

"What's the meaning with thi-"

"Schhh, don'th thalk, human," ordered Stryke, who reached out with his scythe in front of Bill's face. It appeared as if Stryke was checking his looks.

'Hmm,' he mused, 'good neck structure, easy to slit.' He looked at Bill's arms, examining them. 'Average arms, but they still look juicy. And the-' He gasped in gleefulness. 'The legs seem very tasty indeed, a lot of flesh in there, mm-mm.'

Bill was beginning to freak out, here a Scyther was examining him of his various body parts and how they'd taste, but he mustered his sanity and tried to remain wondering. "May I ask what the heck you're-"

"Silence!" hissed Stryke, dashing to the side of Bill. "Before ve leave this foresth ve needth a refilling for our stomachs in preparation of the long journey back tho Fuchsia," he then hissed in Bill's ear. The Scyther then motioned Jashie to come.

'Jashie, dear, will you please hold the human filth's arm in place so I can slice it up properly? And Brasswing, lower him a bit.'

The Scyther who held Bill by the neck forced him down on the knees, and then rested a little more against him. Then the female Scyther closed in with a mischievous grin on her face. She suddenly dashed forward and clinched her both scythes around Bill's right arm, holding it firmly.

"This von'th hurth," assured Stryke, placing his scythe on Bill's arm. "A loth," he then added, slicing open a small wound on the arm. Bill hissed inwardly in pain, this wound was not as delicate as the usual ones he had received.

In an attempt to break free, he tried punching Stryke with his free hand. But before he was about to swing, the embrace of scythes tightened once again around his neck.

"Leth us noth geth hasty, I'm justh going tho thake a sample of howth you tasthe." With that, Stryke dug his fangs into Bill's arm. Jashie quickly dashed to Bill's other arm and held it firmly, her fangs glistening in the moonlight.

The stinging pain when the pair of fangs dug deeper into his arm reminded him of when Amber bit him in his hand earlier this night. But then the Scyther let go of his arms, taking a few steps away from him.

'Hmm, that… tasted differently,' he mused. 'Jashie! Brasswing! Come here, there's something we need to discuss!' The other two let go of Bill as well and walked up to Stryke. But Brasswing turned around, giving Bill a sign that if he moved, he died.

Bill clutched his right arm, blood oozed steadily out from it, and he tried keeping the bleeding down. He wondered what those mantises discussed about; they had taken a distance from him so they could converse without him hearing.

* * *

Plum was sleeping heavily, not having slept for a long time. He dreamt many things, and most of it involved him having come back to his swarm in Johto. Most of the parts also involved Skye, and Lazto. But somehow it turned out that his trainer was part of the swarm too, and that Sharp was a new leader…

It was then he woke up.

He had been lying down on the ground and slept. He quickly sat up and shook the grogginess off his head; maybe this nap had lasted too long after all. He stretched his arms and legs, and craned his neck. That little nap had given him a little bit of extra sleep.

But when he turned his head up to look where Bill was sitting, he saw to his horror that Bill wasn't there anymore. He had snuck away while he was sleeping. That human had betrayed him, after all the hospitality he had given him.

But then he knew that he was done for, since he heard other Scythers approaching. Judging by the smell, he was certain that it was Edge… and Firzé.

There was no use running away, Edge had probably reported to Firzé of what had happened. He just sat down and waited for them to come.

It didn't take long before they came, and they both saw Plum was fully awake.

Firzé looked at Plum with an angry disappointment, looking at where Bill was supposed to be and then back at Plum a couple of times. The silence was painful, and Plum felt very uncomfortable.

'Where is the human?' Firzé suddenly asked, expecting an answer.

Plum didn't say anything at first, since he felt guilty for having slept during the guard duty.

'I… I don't know,' he finally replied. His whole body was trembling with fright; nothing in the world would help him out of this mess.

Firzé drew a deep sigh, shaking his head slowly. 'So you let him go…'

'N-no I didn't! He-' protested Plum, but was cut off.

'LIES! You let him go because you pitied him!' Firzé lashed out with his scythes and leapt towards Plum, landing right before him. 'Why, Plum, why? How can you value a human's life more than your own?'

'But he… I was sleeping, leader!' Plum whined inferiorly, looking up to Firzé, scared as hell.

'It's true, leader, he was,' Edge shot in. Firzé glanced at him before turning back to Plum.

'Then I have to admit you were clever, Plum! Falling asleep so you could blame the human's escape on that! This was your final test, Plum, if you would have followed the orders correctly for once, I'd accept you as truly one of us!'

Plum looked confusedly at Firzé.

'But, no. You wanted to spare him because you are still used to be under a human's service!'

'But, leader, please! If you would listen for one second to me,' Plum pleaded, but Firzé just turned away, not listening.

However.

Something caught his interest when he looked at where Bill was supposed to be. He slowly walked up to the spot, narrowing his eyes in anger when he made out what he saw. He picked some of it up when he was directly above it, and then walked back to Plum.

'Plum,' he started slowly, yet threateningly, 'what is this?' He held the scythe in front of Plum, showing what he had on it.

'I… I believe th-those are b-berries, leader,' he stammered, knowing what would come next.

Firzé responded first by tossing all the berries at Plum's face hard, and a look of rage was in his eyes.

'What have I told you about eating berries, Plum? Won't you ever learn? And now… now you had even offered that human filth some food too!' he bellowed.

Plum tried to explain. 'But, lea-'

'No buts here, Plum! That was the last straw! You're not of this swarm anymore!' interjected Firzé, who was completely mad right now.

Plum gave him a scornful look, showing his hatred for Firzé. 'You say that? I'll be glad to leave this swarm as soon as-'

'Did I say anything about banishment?' interrupted Firzé yet again, keeping his penetrating stare at Plum's eyes. 'You ruined my only chance to kill that human, do you honestly think I'll banish you? I've got a much better punishment for you, Plum.' He walked away from Plum, taking a deep breath.

It was time to call the others, so they could deal with this traitor.

* * *

'Stryke, didn't Yaquést tell us that the Viridian swarm hadn't eaten any humans?' Brasswing asked.

'He did, and it would be fun watching them have all have stomach-ache after they've eaten this human filth. They'll surely eat his clothing too!' Stryke cast a glance at Bill, who had taken off his ripped red shirt to tend the wound slightly. 'We can easily find something else to eat in substitution to this human.'

'But,' he continued, 'that human tasted differently than any other human. He tasted more… delicate… and probably more nutrient too…'

'So your point is…?' Jashie anticipated an answer she'd like.

Stryke looked at Jashie excitingly. 'My point is that that swarm does not deserve this fine piece of flesh! I think we should take him for ourselves. Didn't Yaquést reveal that the others were sleeping too?'

'Yeah, such a weakling, he really was scared out of his mind. Since they're sleeping the forest is all ours this night!' added Brasswing.

Bill was tending his wounds, using the shirt Stryke had ripped. Now he only had his white t-shirt and it felt a little bit colder, but his Pokémon powers would lessen the pain soon enough, he hoped. He didn't pay attention to what the Scythers said, since the pain was his current matter. He glanced at the yellow mouse, motioning the Pikachu to come here. But the mouse stayed in place, not wanting to upset those Scythers.

Why did everything have to go wrong this night? Why couldn't those stupid Fuchsia Scythers stayed in Fuchsia and be there instead? Why couldn't they have arrived two days later?

Jashie then walked up to him, grinning.

'So, my sweet little human,' she started, not caring if Bill understood what she said or not, 'Stryke here told me your flesh tastes delicious, and…' She dashed over to him, clinching his left arm. She bent down slightly and whispered lowly in his ear.

'And after the preparations I will see how much your flesh will satisfy my hunger,' she finished, sniffing his face.

'Hey, Jashie,' called Brasswing gleefully. 'Lay it off! He doesn't understand!'

Bill tried to shuffle away from the Scyther, but she only responded by tugging his arm toward her.

'Aw, not liking to have me close, do you?' she mocked, pulling him closer. 'Ah, young and spry, you'll surely taste-'

A swift punch interrupted her; Bill had had enough of this mockery and threatening. The Scyther reeled back after having let go of his arm. He got to his feet with both fists ready to punch anything that neared him.

'Ooh, aren't you the feisty one, hmm?' she taunted. But Stryke had had enough playing around.

'SEIZE HIM!' he ordered. Brasswing darted forward to knock Bill down while Jashie made another attempt on clinching her scythes around one of his arms again.

He quickly punched Brasswing on his muzzle, and backhanded Jashie, downing her. But then something rammed him powerfully from behind, making him lose his balance. He hit the ground hard, face first. When he scrambled up on his fours he felt two sharp objects around his neck again. He immediately froze.

"Relax, human, ith'll be all over soon…" said Stryke, ready to slit the throat of Bill.

The two scythes were about to slit his throat when a faint cry was heard.

'SCYYYYTHEEEERS!'

It was Stryke's time to freeze now. His grip around Bill's neck loosened, and he slowly stood up. He looked anxiously around himself while the other two looked at him in wonder.

'They're awake…' Stryke said finally, worried.

'So, what?' snapped Jashie. 'Let's deal with the human already!'

'No, Jashie,' replied Stryke seriously. 'I guess there has been a change of plans again.'

'What do you mean "change of plans"? Let's finish the human off!' She jerked her head to look at Bill hungrily.

'I mean that the swarm is looking for the human! We can't risk being spotted! And the preparations we have to do before we eat the human takes much too long time!' explained Stryke, looking at Jashie sternly. Brasswing walked away from Bill, nearing the other Scyther.

'But, Stryke, we could always take him with us!' he suggested, but Stryke shook his head, denying the suggestion.

'No, he will resist too much. We'll be discovered to soon. Same goes for the rodent, if that was the leader's voice, he'd expect everyone to come, and Yaquést will not.'

'Come on!' pleaded Jashie. 'Can I at least have a bite of him?' She looked at Bill again, licking her fangs.

'No.'

'Not even a nibble?'

'NO!'

Jashie refused to face defeat, and snarled. Bill saw immediately what was coming and tried to fend her off, since she was intent to have a bite off him. But this time she had the upper hand, she had managed to push him down and pin both of his arms to the ground with the flats of her scythes. She bent down to make the kill, a drop of saliva landed on Bill's neck.

But Brasswing tackled her away from Bill, but the female Scyther attacked him instead. She seemed to be stronger than him, and clashed her scythes viciously against his. But Stryke intervened quickly, knocking her down.

'Jashie, are you insane? If you bite this human, the swarm will know we've been here!' Stryke barked, Brasswing picked her up and held her firmly. She wiggled a little, but now the male Scyther had an advantage.

'But you bit him before! You've already screwed us!' she snarled. She was still trying to shake free from the grip, still eager to bite Bill's neck off, or something.

'I'll think of something…'

Stryke walked up to Bill, smirking slightly. "I apologize for the behaviour of my fellow Scyther, buth ve do noth vanth tho be exposed tho thath Scyther svarm. So you're lucky!" He wheeled around and approached Jashie, discussing slightly with her. Bill straightened up and waited for the Scyther to return.

Stryke finished discussing with the other two, and turned to Bill again.

"You're such an intheresthing human, but I'm afraid ve have tho leave. Good luck with handling this svarm when they've found the corpse of that thraitor. And you may take thath rodenth with you, ve have no further business in this foresth." With that, he turned around, walking by the other two. He gestured Brasswing to let Jashie go, and they all left Bill. But Jashie stopped and cast a last hostile glance at Bill.

'JASHIE!' Stryke called angrily. She ran off and caught up with the others. It didn't take long until they were out of earshot.

Bill let out a deep, long sigh of relief. With those Scythers gone, he hoped he could at least converse with the Pikachu. But he was also aware of that Firzé & co had found Plum sleeping, and a brief rush of guilt showered him.

He mentally slapped himself; this was Plum's problem, not his! He walked up to the Pikachu.

"So, eh, Pikachu, do you-"

'What was the meaning of you claiming I was yours?' the yellow mouse snapped, electricity building up in his cheeks.

"Whoa, whoa! I had to come up with something so those Scythers wouldn't kill me right off the bat!

The Pikachu looked at him suspiciously, and then spoke. 'So you did not come here to, eh, rescue me? Then why did you come here?'

"I came here for reasons that doesn't matter you!" Bill snapped. But he quickly realized his mistake.

'You understand me? Then why didn't you say that to those Scythers?' the mouse inquired, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Well, uh, I figured that they'd kill me right off if they found out that I had overheard everything they had said, which I actually did! And please, Pikachu, I don't want to explain why I'm able to understand you, I don't know, okay?" Pikachu rolled his eyes, glancing at Bill, and then shrugged.

'Whatever…' he nonchalantly said. 'Say, that Scyther cry I heard, do you know what it was all about?'

Bill hesitated for a bit. "Well, eh, I suspect they're kinda looking for me, I'm afraid." This freaked Pikachu out, and he began to charge lightning in his cheeks.

'But then it's only a matter of time before they find you! You're lucky to have lasted this long! I'm outta here!' he squeaked frantically.

"No, no, no! Wait a minute! I didn't come here for nothing!" protested Bill, glaring at Pikachu.

'What do you mean?' he replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

"You gotta help me out of here, Pikachu, it's a request. Otherwise I'll end up lost in this forest. It was sheer dumb luck that I found you here at all!" he pleaded, wanting to get out of this forest.

'So you just assumed that I would know the way out?' Pikachu replied angrily, but then smiled faintly. 'But I actually do know this forest; I know it like the back of my paw.' He held out his left little paw out smugly, knowing that he was Bill's only way out.

"So," Bill began, his hope returning, "You're helping me?" His face lit up.

'After all you did stall those barbarians so they had to "postpone" killing me, and giving them time to realize the others had woken up. I think I could at least try to help you out.'

Bill did a little jump of joy, smiling happily. "Thanks Pikachu, but there's a little problem."

'What?'

"You don't happen to know where the closest pond is located? I have gotten a little too thirsty this night, and I think I need to wash away some evidence from my body… or at least the face." That was right, during this whole night; he had gotten too dirty to return to Pewter without raising any suspicions.

Pikachu backed off, assuming that Bill was playing some crazy joke. 'No, no, no, you can't be serious! The pond is deep Scyther territory!'

"But, if they're looking for me/us, they would never think I'd enter their deepest territory! Please, Pikachu, I beg of you! If people in Pewter know that I've been here, I'm in so deep trouble, please, Pikachu, please," he begged, he was down on his knees and pleading.

Pikachu folded hi very small arms and thought hard for a minute, frowning. He moved his arms from the left to the right, as if talking to himself in body language, but finally, he spoke.

'Okay, but if I as much as sense any Scyther coming near, you're on your own! Got that?' The mouse extended his paw, offering a handshake. Bill kneeled down to Pikachu's level and shook hands with him, even though it felt a little awkward. But it was his only way out after all.

Pikachu then beckoned Bill to follow him. They both walked towards the pond.

They were walking in the forest. It was pretty quiet despite that Scyther cry. Maybe they weren't looking for him? Maybe Firzé had called the others just to punish Plum? When he thought of that name, he felt his eyes burn a little. Stupid guilt.

'Not far now,' muttered Pikachu, keeping his senses alert for any movement. He suddenly stopped.

'Well, it's over there, you go and I'll stay here. I'm not going any nearer, human.'

Bill rolled his eyes and approached the pond cautiously; it was a pretty big pond, almost a small forest lake. He walked up to the water side and got down on his knees. He hesitated before he dipped his hands in the ice cold water and splashed it in his face. His tiredness was completely removed when the cold water hit his face.

He then drew a deep breath, trying to enjoy the wash. After all it was fresh water, a little bit muddy, but what the heck. The pain in his arm stung when he rinsed it with the water.

He picked up his stop watch. He carefully examined the round, smooth exterior made of silver that he had received form his departed father. He wondered if he should utilize the watch's ability, but to do so he'd have to tell Pikachu about it. And he reconsidered that it would not be a good idea.

'Whoa! I'm outta here! Human, you're on your own!' Pikachu suddenly shouted, darting away at an immense speed. Bill snapped away from his thoughts, realizing what was happening.

Scythers were nearby.

Getting to his feet quickly, he looked around to see if he could see at least one of them. But when his gaze met the centre of the pond, he saw the swarm hovering over the pond. It was then they had noticed him. Stupid Pikachu, that yell must have caught their attention. One of them flied towards him, but they couldn't fly as fast as run, fortunately. There was only one thing he could do now, and it didn't involve running. But the Scyther was approaching faster now, so he did what he had to do.

He pressed the button on his stop watch.

Time had stopped around the ten metre radius around him. He saw the Scyther frozen in midair, it was quite the spectacular sight. He then looked at the water, further away, it was strangely still.

He then remembered that everything outside that ten metre radius was completely frozen, so that meant that he could…

Walk on the water?

'_Meh, might as well give it a try,'_ he thought, heading for the frozen part of the lake. He quickly extended hi leg to feel if the water was solid or not. To his astonishment, it was.

He felt really strange walking on the water, it was like he broke the laws of nature. But then it also felt like walking on ice, except that the ice was not cold. He glanced at the rest of the swarm. Strangely enough, it seemed three of them were dive-bombing towards the surface. Were they bathing? He decided to investigate, seeing that he had nothing else to do now.

While he walked on the water, he wondered how he would sort this mess out. If he started time again, he'd be screwed, but he could always try to find that Pikachu too. But he must've been frozen by the watch too, so unfreezing him would only result getting them both caught.

He neared the three Scythers. They weren't far from the surface, but to his horror he recognized one of them.

Plum.

The other two, he couldn't distinguish, but it looked like the other two were holding Plum, attempting to throw him into the pond. He could see the sheer terror on Plum's face, was he to be executed? He put his hands in his pockets, pondering on what to do. He then picked up the watch again, examining it. Maybe…

Maybe he should turn on the time, and try to save Plum? Nah, that'd never work. But by reflex, he accidentally pushed the button on the watch. If he let go of the button, he'd start the time again, so he held the button down. But then, he was dead meat, there was nothing he could do anymore.

He pocketed the watch, still holding the button, braced himself, and let go of the button, starting the tie flow again.

_**To be continued…**_


	17. The Viridian Showdown

_**Chapter 16**_

Yay, I got some response in the forum.

But I hope that I'll update faster after the revision, which I hope will be very soon.

"What celebrity?" – Bill Anderson

* * *

"_**The Viridian Showdown"**_

Bill fell into the water at the instant he had started the time flow. It all happened so suddenly. He heard screams from the Scythers, both in fear and surprise; they probably wondered how he had suddenly appeared there.

And then he went underwater. The water was cold; all his senses screamed for him to get out of it, but he couldn't. But what was most important, that it was almost pitch black under the surface. This almost threw him into a panic as he swam up to the surface. But then he heard something thrashing about in the water not far from him.

It was Plum.

Just as he noticed that, the Scyther went underwater, only the bubbles showing his location. He looked up at the swarm of Scythers which was hovering almost right above him, staring at him confusedly.

Wasting no time, he dove under the water, heading to where Plum was. There was no way he'd let that Scyther died, not after what he had done to him those thirty minutes. It was his fault that Plum had been punished this way, and he had to pay the consequences.

He couldn't see a thing under the water, it was too dark. He couldn't see any signs of the Scyther under the water, so he quickly resurfaced, breathing in more cold air freely. It hurt his lungs due to the cold, he didn't have much time, whether he'd fins Plum or not. If he stayed in that water too long, he risked freezing to death.

He looked around frantically, worried, and scared.

"PLUUUM! WHERE ARE YOU?" he screamed on the top of his lungs. "DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME!"

Plum didn't care anymore, why was he even trying to keep himself alive? He'd die anyway, all because of that stupid human. He knew he shouldn't have trusted him, but he did. But he had to pay for his careless acts, by drowning.

But he was astonished when he saw Bill appear out of nowhere, but at the instant he saw him, he hit the surface. How he hated water, he couldn't swim. Well, nobody in this swarm could swim; after all, they were bug types. He panicked briefly at first, but then let himself sink below the surface. There was nothing to fight for, nothing to live for anymore.

But he heard Bill screaming for him, surely he couldn't find him, but he seemed intent on saving him. One thing was clear to Plum, that human had returned to help him. He had talked about the Pikachu, maybe which was because he ran away, and then came back. He used the last of his power to reach the surface.

"Plum, come on, where are you? Please, don't give up," were Bill's pleas, he was getting a little disoriented in the water. He looked up at the Scyther swarm hatefully, but noticed something resurfacing not far from him.

"Plum!"

The Scyther thrashed once again with his scythes, trying to stay above the surface. But it was tiring to flail about with those scythes, and the water's friction didn't make it easier. He tried to scream after him, but water constantly entered his mouth when he tried to, resulting gurgles and coughing.

He saw Bill swimming towards him fast, but it still seemed he swam too slowly. He gasped for breath, losing his power, and sank below the surface again.

"Plum! Nooo!" he screamed. Again, the bubbles showed Plum's location, and this time he wasn't too far away. He positioned himself directly over the bubbles, took a deep breath, and went under the water again.

But the sheer darkness made him gasp, which wasn't a good idea since he was underwater. He quickly returned to the surface and inhaled new air, and went back down to find Plum.

This time he was ready for the darkness, but his clothes were beginning to tire him out due to them being wet. He swam deeper, hoping to catch a glimpse of Plum. But he saw nothing but darkness, and his vision was so blurry underwater. What had he gotten himself into again? He knew this was hopeless. But knowing that it didn't really matter, he proceeded farther into the depths.

Suddenly, something sharp clung onto his leg. It hurt at first, but it loosened quickly, but still held a firm grip. When he turned to look what was clinching his leg he saw Plum with panic written all over his face. The Scyther then tried to climb up as if Bill was some rope.

Bill was close to panic himself now, he couldn't save someone who tried to drown him, and he began to feel the need for oxygen. He tried to swim up even with the extra weight on his legs, almost attempting to kick Plum off. But the mantis then embraced his scythes around Bill's chest, dragging him down deeper into the dark depths.

Bill tried to pry off the scythe lock around his chest but the feeling of sinking deeper got to him. He looked up at the surface, which was barely visible, and tried harder to break free. His panic was getting to him, and his lungs screamed for oxygen. He looked at Plum, he appeared to be screaming, but no bubbles emitted from his open mouth.

And then, the grip around Bill loosened. And they slid off him. He realized that Plum had lost his consciousness due to lack of air. Bill grabbed one of the scythes and began swimming towards the surface with his free hand. But the more power he used to reach the surface, the more oxygen the lungs demanded. He felt his senses failing him, and a throbbing headache was overcoming him, but only one thing was on his mind.

And that was to reach the surface.

He felt weaker for every swim stroke, and he felt tired. He let out the remaining air, and instinctively tried to inhale air. Ice cold water entered his mouth, and the panic finally kicked in, fueled by the immense amount of adrenaline inside his body. He swam his hardest to reach the surface. He was so close to it, and yet so far. It felt like he was sinking for every stroke now, but that must've been the dizziness.

He broke through the surface, and after having inhaled sharply he let out a loud cry in victory and panic. He breathed heavily, supplying his lungs with fresh, yet stingingly cold air to regain his energy. His cry quickly faded when he saw the swarm in a circle above him. A rush of dread filled his body, but he hoped no one would dare to close in.

But one of them advanced, scythes ready to at least swipe at him, but Firzé waved him off, telling him not to do that.

'Not now, Edge, not now. We wait and see if that traitor is dead first, if he isn't we wait until the human makes it to the shore,' he said calmly, but he was still astonished.

'Leader, how did that happen? I had him right in front of me, and suddenly he was gone! And he was suddenly here you say! How, why?' asked another, dumbfounded.

'We'll ask him, Amber,' replied Firzé lowly, staring hatefully at Bill. 'If he makes it, that is.'

Bill looked at Plum worriedly. He wasn't breathing. Had he been too late after all? He tried shaking the Scyther slightly, but nothing happened. He smacked the Scyther on his cheeks, but got no response.

"Plum? Come on please, wake up, please. Don't die after all this… please…" he weakly pleaded. Firzé advanced carefully.

'He's dead,' said Firzé bluntly.

Bill ignored him, trying to help Plum. He started to shake him more violently this time.

"PLUM! BREATHE! GET THAT WATER OUT OF YOU!" he screamed in hysteria. He briefly thought of giving CPR, but after going through that thought again, he almost puked at that thought.

'Plum is dead, human, he has paid for his treachery!' Firzé claimed, crossing his scythes smugly.

"Shut up, you!" snarled Bill, glaring fiercely at Firzé. "If Plum dies, I'm gonna slaughter your whole swarm, Firzé!"

Firzé stared at Bill for a second, speechless. 'How did you know my name? Who-'

"Hello? I understand you! I probably know all of your nicknames you have! I heard your name from the beginning; I think it was Blade whom I heard it from first.

Firzé glared brightly at him, and then turned to the swarm. 'BLADE!' he roared, expecting the Scyther to come. But no one did. 'BLADE!' he roared again. Still no answer.

'He doesn't seem to be here, leader,' stated Vanilla. Firzé sighed exasperatedly.

'Well, then would you and Edge go to where he should be and come back with him? It's amazing how unnoticeable he really is.' Both Vanilla and Edge nodded, but Edge smirked slightly, and took off.

Bill had it hard trying to stay over the surface and holding Plum. He was so close to saving him, but he had been a second to late.

"Please, Plum," he whispered to him. "I'll help you out of this, think of Skye, Plum, please."

And then it happened. Plum's body twitched slightly and he started to regurgitate the excess water inside him. Had Bill not held him in the floating position he would've never gotten that water out.

'_A miracle…'_ thought Bill, watching Plum breathe sharply in panic.

'_Impossible,'_ thought Firzé, certain that other Scythers thought so as well.

But those happy moments didn't last very long. When Plum briefly came to his senses he noticed he was still in the water, and he would do whatever it would take t get out of it. Panic kicked in again, he began to swing his scythes in order to stay over the surface.

Bill almost instinctively dropped Plum due to the sudden fit of panic he was thrown into. But he tried to hold him even if it risked him being dragged underwater; after all, he had nothing to lose.

Plum quickly realized that the human was holding him from behind, and in one swift moment, he put his weight on Bill's shoulders, pushing him down underwater. He didn't really care this moment since he was in panic; he wanted to breathe air, not water.

Bill was immediately pushed under the surface, he tried swimming up again with his arms but Plum's weight was too much. A rush of fear surged through him while he felt being drowned, and the coldness didn't make him feel better either. His arms were getting weaker due to the cold, and he seemed to lose the feeling in the too.

He stopped trying to swim up and grabbed Plum instead, pulling him down. He tried grabbing a hold of both scythes so he would disable the mantis to accidentally swiping him. After completing those tasks he saw the sheer terror written on the Scyther's face, and proceeded to swim up.

When he hit the surface, both he and Plum gasped heavily for air. It was tedious to keep both himself and the Scyther above the surface, since he had his hands full holding the struggling Pokémon and he was constantly paddling with his feet underwater. And having shoes on didn't help either.

"Plum, listen to me!" he quickly said, trying to stay calm. "You've go to trust me, if you keep thrashing about, we'll both die. Just keep calm and I'll get you to land," he said, shivering due to the cold.

It didn't seem that Plum listened, he was still breathing very rapidly. The seemingly ice cold air made him shiver and he seemed desperate to get out of the water. He found the only way to get out of the water was to break free from Bill's grip. He began to struggle violently.

"Plum, Plum, calm down!" ordered Bill, getting annoyed by Plum's sudden fits of panic. "I'm here to help you! Take long and deep breaths, please," he pleaded, taking deep breaths himself. To his luck, Plum began to draw longer, deeper breaths, and eased up the struggling. Bill slowly loosened his grip on both scythes so he could position Plum in a floating position and swim back with him.

"Easy now, I'll get you out of here if you just stay cool. Just relax and we'll both reach the shore in no time," he assured, positioning Plum so he floated on his back.

'I-I'm sorry, Bill. I hate water, it's so cold and I can't stand on it either.' He looked up at the sky, seeing the swarm of Scythers looking at him and Bill. 'What now? They will kill both of us when we reach the shore, why-'

"I'll think of something, stay calm now," interjected Bill, swimming backwards while holding Plum floating.

The Scythers were astonished at first, but Firzé was the first to break the silence. 'Let's leave them alone for a moment, so they can have their happy little reunion. But after that, we'll kill them.' He gestured his minions to follow him, and took off to the opposite direction. No one objected on that.

'They're flying away, Bill,' said Plum, trying to point at the swarm. 'They're flying away,' he repeated. He got a mouthful of ice cold water when he tried to move his head, causing him to cough.

"I know, Plum. They're probably up to something, just keep calm and concentrate on the stars up there," suggested Bill. He tried to hasten up his swimming so he would reach the shore faster, since his sense of feeling began to weaken while he was in the water. He remembered what Max had said one day back home.

"_Most people doesn't drown by the lack of air, Bill, they die of freezing to death."_

Luckily, it wasn't very far from the shore now. Just a few ten metres or so.

When he saw close to the water's edge, he stopped swimming. He positioned his feet downwards to check if it was shallow enough or him to stand on the bottom. Fortunately, it was. When he stood tall, the water was up to his waist. He carefully walked backwards towards the shore and pulled Plum with him.

When the water was up to his legs he felt the immense cold sweeping over him. "Plum, it's safe now, you can't stand upright now." He watched the Scyther trying to stand up despite Bill holing his head. Bill saw that he had some trouble getting up. "Up you go, Plum!" he said a little cheerfully when he grabbed Plum's scythes to pull him to his feet.

But Plum didn't like what Bill was doing. In one quick movement, he pushed away Bill's hands and pointed his scythe at him threateningly.

'You,' he snarled. His demeanour had changed into a more hostile one when he was on dry land. He pointed his scythe a Bill's throat.

Bill was caught off guard of that action, and immediately backed away. "Whoa, hey! But I-"

'No buts from you, Bill!' snapped Plum, still forcing Bill to back away. 'You ran away! When I for once trusted you, you ran away! How could you?' He tried to swat him, but Bill ducked swiftly.

"I, uh… eh…" he stuttered, not knowing what to say. Plum attempted another swing, but missed. "But I saved you, Plum! At least I'd expect you to say thanks, or something!" Plum stopped his advance, still staring fiercely at him.

'Thanks?' he first said, as if it was a word unknown to him. 'You expect me to say thanks?' he then yelled, attempting yet another swipe. This time he scored a hit, swatting Bill's cheek.

Bill fell down by the sudden attack, he landed on his back and his vision blacked out for a moment. When his vision returned he saw an angry looking Plum pointing his scythe at his eye. At this moment, Bill's mind told him something he didn't want to hear.

That Plum was no different than the other Scythers after all.

His body was too tired to fight after having been in the water. But he was already screwed when Pikachu abandoned him. And to crown it all, he began t shudder in cold more, soon starting to cough.

Plum growled before speaking. 'You ruined it all, Bill! I you had stayed, Firzé would've accepted me, but you ruined it! He was right after all, humans cannot be trusted!' He lifted his other scythe, preparing to strike him. Bill recognized this exact position, and didn't know how to escape it.

"Plum, cool it! We can work this out, I promise!" he pleaded, using his hands to cover his face.

But Plum noticed something else, his hostile demeanour changed slightly to a worried curiosity. 'What happened to your arm?'

Bill glanced at his arm where he saw the wound caused by the Fuchsia Scyther. "Well, I went to get that Pikachu, but someone guarded him and-"

'You snuck away to play hero and rescue that rat?' interrupted Plum, widening his eyes. He calmed down a little and let Bill stand up.

"I, I figured he'd know how to get out of the forest, which he did, but he bailed out when he sensed the swarm in the vicinity," Bill said quickly.

'What about the guard? Blade was guarding him tonight and…' Plum stared at him blankly, fearing the worst. 'Did you…?'

Bill didn't answer right away, since he was scared if Plum would get angrier and hostile if he said something wrong now. Blade had been killed by those Fuchsia Scythers, and Plum would never believe that. But after having whirred through his thought once more, he decided to lie.

"He slept, so it wasn't that hard to get that Pikachu," he said, his voice shaking a little.

Plum snarled and advanced a few steps with his scythes ready to strike. Bill yelped and backed away from Plum.

'I can't believe you're lying, Bill! Blade is a light sleeper; he would've heard you from a distance! Now you stay still!' He positioned his scythe so it was close to Bill's eye. Bill didn't want to defend himself; even though this Scyther had been nice to him he couldn't attack him.

"But, Plum, I'm freezing!" he whined, shivering by the cold. "Can't we just walk away from the pond?" he suggested hopefully. Plum looked at him suspiciously and then waved his scythe, showing that he accepted that suggestion.

'Since I don't like water I might have to agree with that, Bill,' he answered coldly.

They walked a short distance from the pond. They were both freezing, but Plum didn't show he was, but Bill was freezing too much. He feared that he'd catch a heck of a cold if he stayed like this. He was not in a good condition to fight Firzé now, and he was certain that Firzé wouldn't give him any more rest.

"Plum, please, I can make it up to you. I can help you out of here, please!" he pleaded, trying to befriend Plum again by making an offer. But Plum just snapped at him.

'It doesn't matter! Are you still trying to buy yourself your freedom? Thanks to you having run away, we're both dead meat!' The Scyther shook his body lightly, sending the last of the water droplets off his body.

But Plum then looked at his left, lowering his scythes. He heard something approaching, and he shivered when he saw who it was.

'Well, well, well,' said Firzé smugly. He and his swarm had arrived from the forest, having taken a route so they would corner both Bill and Plum. 'Look what we found right here, a human with his friend Scyther.' He cast a stern glance at Plum, 'You're no different, Plum, still making human friends and all that. I now know that the likes of you never change, you malfunctioning filth!'

Bill noticed that Plum's mood had changed into scared, and was edging closer to Bill as if he expected him to protect him. Bill was astonished by those sudden mood swings Plum had at the moment.

"Hey, Firzé!" called Bill, only to see that Firzé turned his head to his direction, looking at him fiercely.

'Shut up, human!' he snapped, keeping his fierce stare into Bill's eyes. 'You do not call me by my name! I have some questions for you after this traitor is dealt with.' He let his gaze slide over to Plum again, who seemed uncomfortable.

'My dear Plum,' he said sincerely. His voice was sweet as honey, but that honey was surely poisonous. 'After the human saved your life, what do you think of him? Is he your friend? Did you share your cute little life story with him, hmm?' he asked, his voice was still soft.

Plum didn't answer right away, 'I, eh, m, eh,' he seemed to stutter weakly at first, but it then came to Bill that he didn't dare to answer.

'No answer? But it is considered an answer, and your answer is yes on all questions!' Firzé's voice started to get tense, losing the sweet honey. 'Admit it! You even brought berries for him! I'm not stupid, Plum, is that what you think I am?' he fiercely asked while slowly walking up to Plum.

Bill then stepped in front of Plum, who was scared at the moment. "He didn't get any berries for me, he got them for himself!" he claimed, hoping that that lie would help out Plum a little, but Firzé narrowed his eyes in irritation.

'Step aside, you filth!' He swiped threateningly at Bill who backed away from Plum instantly. 'So you got them for yourself?' He calmed down briefly, but worked up his anger short after. 'Then that means you left the human without any form of supervision! So not only did you sleep, you left him unguarded!'

"Sharp did that too! He brought me a dead Caterpie when I said I was hungry!" claimed Bill. He saw a Scyther glaring brightly at him, which probably was Sharp.

Firzé sent a glare to Bill's direction. 'Oh, so the human is lying again to protect his newfound friend, hmm?' asked Firzé smugly.

"I'm not lying!" he objected, infuriated over that he wasn't believed when he told the truth. But he had to pay the penalties of his constant lies. He saw Sharp's glare turn into a confident smile of smugness.

Firzé started to walk towards Bill, his glare turned more furious. Even though it seemed so fiery, it still managed to send a chill down Bill's spine.

'Shut up! You humans are all the same, living long and boring lives! But you think lies will save your life, you probably did lie about that wonder potion you spoke of earlier this night, didn't you?' Bill nodded slowly, almost scared stiff. 'Well, at least your boring life will be enlightened a little when the showdown between me and you takes place!' he finished proudly.

"It's not 'me and you', it's 'you and me'!' Bill lectured.

Firzé took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. But he suddenly lashed out with one scythe, narrowly missing Bill's face. 'DON'T YOU DARE LECTURE ME!' he shouted in Bill's ears. Bill jumped back in surprise, toppling over and fell.

But they were both interrupted by two other Scythers who came running. It was Vanilla and Edge, who both had a distressed look on their faces.

'So, where's Blade? Why isn't he here?' asked Firzé calmly.

'Leader,' Vanilla started lowly. 'When we arrived to where Blade was, the yellow rodent was gone… and he was dead.'

Firzé remained silent when he slowly turned to look at Bill, who had slowly gotten up, accusingly.

"I swear, I didn't kill him! That's the truth, I did not-"

'Lies again, human, nothing but simple little lies.' Firzé slowly moved his scythe towards Bill's eyes, waving it before them.

'Leader, he was beheaded and stabbed. The human could not have caused that,' Vanilla stated. She only received a glare from Firzé.

'How do you know? This human could have used Blade's weapon against him!' claimed Firzé.

"No, it was those Fuchsia Scythers!" Bill objected, aggravated over that he wasn't believed when he for once told the truth. "One of them bit me here on my arm, look!" He reached out with his arm to show the mark.

One of the Scythers rushed forward to look at the wound, it was Hunter.

'As I see it, those marks signify that the structure of the pair of fangs is not of our kind, so the human might be right, leader,' he stated wisely. But Firzé scoffed, shoving Hunter aside.

'But Blade had a different bite, Hunter, the gap between his fangs were wider, in which this wound is. And therefore,' he turned to Bill again. 'Blade tried to defend himself at all costs against that human!'

"But it's true!" Bill objected, "Why-"

'Will you shut up for once?' interjected Firzé, his voice trembling in anger. He turned around to face his swarm. 'Scythers of Viridian swarm; it is now proved that this human does pose a threat to us! If he lives any longer, he will kill more of our kind! To ensure future safety, it is our duty to dispose of this murderer!'

All of the Scythers cheered for what their leader said, and Bill got a sinking feeling in his stomach. If he had to survive this, he'd have to come up with something smart, fast.

After the Scythers were done cheering, Firzé turned to Bill. 'Now, I'd like to ask you a question, regarding what happened at the pond. Amber was sent to seize you, but you mysteriously disappeared and appeared next to Plum. How did that happen?' he asked curiously.

Bill hesitated at first, but knew those Scythers would never have any use of his stop watch. But he glanced at Plum, knowing that he had to help him somehow.

"If I tell you, will you let Plum go? You don't want him in your swarm, so why bother killing him? Isn't Blade's death enough? Give him a chance, at least I want to pay back after him being nice to me…" he suggested hopefully.

Firzé thought for a while, wondering if he should accept or not. 'There are insufficient advantages for me, human, I want something more in exchange,' he demanded slyly. He didn't want Plum to get away easily.

"Well, I can give you a guarantee that I won't try to escape this time when the showdown takes place."

Firzé did some more hard thinking, grumbling a little before answering. He reached out with his scythe, as if offering an accepting handshake. 'Those conditions sound good.' He quickly withdrew his scythe suspiciously. 'But if you break them… he is the one who pays the consequences!' he warned, referring to Plum.

'Now,' he continued, 'tell us about that odd ability of yours, it isn't any psychic ability, so what is it?'

"But we haven't agreed yet!"

'I'll let Plum go after you've told your secret about how you teleport, now tell.'

'You don't have to do this,' said Plum.

"You don't want to be here, Plum, I'm just paying back the hospitality you showed me," Bill replied. He turned back to Firzé; he picked up the watch he used to stop time. "This, my dear Fi- Scyther, is what I call my stop watch. It allows me to travel through the time dimension and appear wherever I want to." Even though some of this was lies, some of it was true. But he had also broken the rule Master Zahn had told him: You mustn't tell the watch's power.

He heard mumbles from the swarm; he couldn't make out any of it, but he caught something like cele-, or cebi, or something. Did they think he was some kind of celebrity?

"But only I can use it though, it houses power that must be cared for, and-"

'Enough!' interrupted Firzé. 'Is that true about that thing what you say it is?' he asked, snarling slightly. Bill nodded solemnly. 'Then not only you're a murderer, you're a blasphemer as well! One does not meddle with the powers of Celebi unpunished!'

"What celebrity?" Bill asked confusedly, not knowing what Firzé was talking about. "But I told you about this ability, now release Plum!" he then demanded.

'As you wish then, blasphemer.' Firzé looked at Plum scornfully, 'you may go, Plum. But I know you won't succeed making it to Johto, if that's what you want. You'll end up as a slave to those humans, no doubt, and you'll regret defying me. Now go, before I change my mind.'

Plum looked at Bill hesitatingly, and then looked at Firzé. He backed away a few steps firstly, and then turned around and ran away. The Scythers who stood in his way stepped aside, looking at him with disgust.

Firzé looked on as well. 'He'll never make it, human,' he said, still looking where Plum had left. 'He will either end up getting caught or killed. You've made his life worse after you saved him.' He turned to look at Bill, 'Why did you save him? Why didn't you let him die so you would spare him the pain he's going through?'

"I like to intervene, Firzé," Bill replied bluntly, crossing his arms.

'What did I tell you, human? Do not call me by my name!' It sounded more like a grumble than a scold to Bill, who just chuckled. But Firzé calmed down despite Bill's insolent behaviour. 'Anyway, at least I'll be able to show who's the strongest around here… shall we begin?' he asked, readying his scythes.

"If you mind, let me prepare myself first," said Bill, putting his hands together. He knew that he had to use his fire advantage over Firzé, so he decided to change his status into fire. He knew he'd get slower, but the advantage would pay off, he hoped.

'As long as you don't try to fool me this time, human. If you run away, Plum dies,' Firzé warned.

Bill glowed white for a split second, but when he was done he felt a stinging cold, much worse after he had been in the pond, envelop his while body. He twitched under the wet cold, it hurt his skin. It came to him that water was Fire type's weakness and since he had changed into Fire type he had achieved the weaknesses with it. White steam seemed to come out from his body as he started to feel a warm feeling envelop his body.

He realized that his body temperature had raised and the water had ended up in steam. He shuddered one last time before looking at Firzé.

'A change of fur, human?' he inquired, referring to Bill's hair which had changed into red due to type. 'You seem cold, but do you honestly think I'll go easy on you?'

"N-no," replied Bill defiantly, "B-but there one th-thing I need to do." He took off his red shirt, which had been sliced up by Stryke earlier, and threw it to the ground.

Firzé tilted his head in wonder first, but then snorted. 'I knew it! You Ekans-tongued human, you're shedding your skin, aren't you? Do you think that'll make you stronger?'

Bill was caught off guard by that comment. He did some thinking and realized that Firzé and the rest of the swarm thought his clothes were his skin. But he decided to play the same game with Firzé.

"That's right, and now the humans will know I've been here so I need to get rid of this evidence!" He looked at the shirt on the ground. He charged an Ember attack and threw it at the shirt, burning it to a crisp. After it had finished burning up, he stomped on the fire to put it out.

When he looked at Firzé, he saw that the dark green Scyther didn't seem as confident as before.

"What? You didn't expect me to use fire attacks?" he asked nonchalantly, grinning at Firzé.

'You're not from here, are you?' Firzé asked calmly, still trying to hide his astonishment. 'Are you a sorcerer from another world?'

"Now you're exceeding it! I'm more like a Dimensional Intervention, if you ask me! Shall we?" asked Bill as he powered up both his fists with fire power briefly.

'HA!' Firzé burst out. 'Do you think you can win with an advantage? I've won against fire species many times and other species with advantages as well,' he boasted, sliding his scythes against each other, as if sharpening them.

That comment made Bill shudder lightly. Firzé had defeated Jon's Growlithe that day, and now that he had entered the fire status, he had lost a great deal of his speed. Firzé could win using his agility to slice and dice him, so he had to think.

_You need to concentrate only on fighting, Bill. If you don't, you'll suffer defeat, or even worse, end up killed._ Those words echoed slightly in Bill's mind. Those were the words of Master Zahn. He had to concentrate only on Firzé, his movements and all. He stared the Scyther down, waiting for him to do his first attack.

Firzé stared at Bill himself, sizing him up. Although he was able to use those fire attacks, but he would be no match for his own speed. Keeping his stare at Bill, he began walking sideways.

Bill did the same, not letting his stare leave Firzé's eyes. They both walked around in a circle, waiting for the other one to make first move. Bill tensed his muscles so he would be ready for a dodge. He planned that he should let Firzé attack first so he could counter attack him.

But Firzé had other plans; he dashed forward two steps, raising his scythes. He tricked Bill so he would fall for the trick. Bill hopped back a few steps, lowering his fists in defence.

And that was all Firzé needed.

The dark green Scyther leader dashed forward again, much faster this time, scythe poised to strike its target. Bill had no time to dodge, Firzé was a_ lot_ faster than the others, and combined with him having lowered his speed in exchange for fire attacks didn't make it easier. The Scyther seemed to turn into a blur of dark green when he advanced blindingly fast.

Bill felt something powerfully ram him in his chest. He was flung backwards a distance and landed hard on the ground. When the back of his head hit the ground he felt a temporary dizziness in his mind, but when it cleared he realized he had been knocked down by Firzé before he knew what hit him.

He cursed for his carelessness, falling for that trick. But he mentally told himself that it was his reflexes that had fooled him too. He heard running steps – not from one Scyther, but from many Scythers – approaching, now they would slice him open to make him pay for what he 'did' to Blade.

'Stop!' commanded Firzé. All of the Scythers stopped instantly, looking at their leader questioningly. 'Not yet… let me play some more,' he told them lowly before turning to Bill, leering down at him. 'It seems that I overestimated you after all…' He chuckled, waiting for Bill to get up.

Bill tried to get in a cheap shot by firing an Ember towards Firzé while he lay down. The small fire ball formed in his hand as he threw it towards the leader Scyther.

But Firzé simply sidestepped, tilting his head slightly to avoid the fire attack without any effort. The glowing fire ball hit the damp ground near the pond and snuffed out, leaving nothing but a blackish rock and some steam.

'Get up already, human. I don't fancy stabbing my opponents while they're lying down, especially not in the beginning of the fight.' He clicked his scythes impatiently, but it was also in a mocking manner.

Bill slowly stood up, trying to shake off the last off his dizziness. When he stood up he resumed to his fighting stance, eyeing his opponent fiercely. This Scyther would be hard to take down, but even if he did, the other Scythers would attack him.

Firzé began walking sideways again, returning Bill's fierce stare. 'You do realize that as soon as I use these-' He raised his scythes briefly. '-it's all over,' he finished, stopping his sideway advance. Bill didn't reply, which angered Firzé a little. The Scyther dashed forward blindingly fast, attempting a powerful, but mostly harmless, tackle.

Thinking it was a trick, Bill stood on the ground firmly, not going to fall for the same trick again.

But this time, it wasn't a trick.

Firzé rammed into Bill powerfully this time. Thanks to the high speed, extra power was added to the tackle. Bill was knocked against a tree, colliding into it with his back first. The air was knocked out of him this time when he hit the tree, and he slowly slid down it to a sitting position, leaning against it.

He looked up weakly at the approaching Scyther; he saw the confident smirk on his face. The next thing he knew was the tip of a scythe under his chin.

'I don't believe it,' he simply said, forcing Bill to look at him by holding his chin with his scythe. 'I expected more of you, but even though you possess the ability of fire, you're still too slow.' He turned around angrily to look at the others, holding both scythes in the air.

'How could you let yourselves be humiliated by this human? He's a pushover! He's nothing compared to our strength. He killed Blade, yes, but he must have attacked him from behind!'

While Firzé continued his little speech, Bill secretly powered up a Fire Punch. He regained his power after having been temporary weakened, and was ready to deliver another cheap shot.

"Hey, Firzé," he called weakly, having finished his charging.

Firzé snapped around, just in time to face a burning fist from his opponent. He didn't have any time to dodge the punch, and got hit directly in the face.

He backed off, screaming in both pain and surprise as the fire scorched some of the protective carapace on his head. After the fire had died down, he glared murderously at Bill, who had gotten up again. Firzé's face had some burn marks, but nothing serious.

"Aww, did you get burned? I'm just getting warmed up!" he taunted, cracking a pun. He charged two more Fire Punches and dashed forward to attack.

That comment enraged Firzé, not only Bill was fighting dishonourable, he made fun of him too! But instead of charging, he waited for him to come, readying his scythe. He had a wider range, so he just had to wait for the exact moment to cut off one of Bill's limbs.

But as soon as Bill was in Firzé's striking range, he amazingly hopped a step backwards, evading the swipe he had expected. Immediately after, he dashed forward and sent a straight Fire Punch at the Scyther's middle section and followed up with a second Fire Punch in an uppercut. But those two punches weren't as powerful as the first one, since powering up two at once seemed to lower their effectiveness.

Nevertheless, Firzé was staggering backwards again, not screaming this time, but just grunting. He had been caught off guard by the first punch.

Bill didn't want the Scyther to retaliate, so he immediately advanced and did a short hop on one leg, he had decided to use his signature move, the Sonic Kicks 1000. He kicked three times at the Scyther, but Firzé recovered quickly and blocked the third kick with his scythe.

Bill used the force of the deflection to spin around faster, hoping that it would add more power to the cyan projectile. Everything froze for a split second; he saw the familiar cyan orb that surrounded his foot charging up. When it finished the charging, he released the powerful energy shot at Firzé, but to Bill's horror…

…Firzé dodged it swiftly with ease by making a short leap sideways.

Bill felt the dread overcoming him, and the exhaustion of the combo attack. But he was lucky, Firzé was dumbfounded by that attack, it was something he had never seen in his life. The spinning, cyan energy shot was slicing through the trees in its path as if the trees were made of butter. The projectile dissipated into nothing after twenty metres of travelling.

Using the invaluable time, he got to his feet. He had failed to take Firzé down with one of his most powerful attacks, and he knew he had only power for one of his signature moves left. He saw Firzé turn to him again, but he knew that the Scyther was hiding his impression.

'Maybe I didn't overestimate you after all… but you still fight cheaply, human!' he snapped, raising his scythes.

"You know, Firzé, cheap shots are the only ways to win," Bill retaliated, trying to hide his weariness.

Firzé revealed a sick grin. 'Very well then,' he said calmly, which Bill didn't expect from someone having witnessed the Sonic Kicks 1000 attack. 'No more playing around… it'll be interesting to see how long you'll last against my blades.' With that, he dashed forward faster than before, combining a Quick Attack with Agility.

Bill didn't even have time to blink before Firzé disappeared. He raised his fists and stood still, only looking around himself.

Suddenly, Firzé appeared in front of him, not in striking range, but close enough so he could see the Scyther's smug grin. At the same time, he felt his body itch a little. He ignored it and stared at his opponent.

"What was-" He didn't have time to finish the sentence, a sharp pain stung over his whole body and it spread out like a fire. He fell down on one knee, clutching his stomach with his left hand and clutched his left arm with his right hand.

He felt something warm and damp on his hands, it was blood. He lifted his hands and looked at them, he saw them covered in blood, and he realized he had been hit without even seeing it. But no wound was intended to be mortal.

He looked at his t-shirt dreadfully. The once white t-shirt had now stains of blood and it was ripped where the wounds where. He counted five cuts on it, delivered randomly, and he added two more on his arm and leg. Small puddles of blood formed on the ground, and increased for every drop of blood that made its way from Bill's body.

He swallowed once, feeling the salty brass taste of blood. He heard approaching steps, but he didn't look up immediately; he was too concentrating in examining his wounds.

But at the instant he looked up, the flat of a scythe was placed under his chin, forcing to look at the scythe's owner. Bill just wanted to slap away the leer from the Scyther's face when he stared him in the eyes, but he was in bad shape.

'You're losing,' the Scyther just said.

Bill didn't answer, why should he anyway? It wasn't a question after all. He just scoffed lightly, trying to look away.

Firzé moved his other blade and placed it the side of Bill's forehead, a little close to the temple, and pushed it lightly through his skin. The boy gritted his teeth, grunting. And then Firzé quickly slid the scythe across the forehead, slicing up a delicate wound on it painfully.

Warm blood trickled down Bill's face, but he got nothing in his eye thanks to his eyebrows. But he closed them and whined in pain, wondering what would happen next. Attacking the Scyther at this position was a very stupid idea anyway.

'Finally, human, you've tasted defeat!' he told him victoriously. He moved his head closer to Bill's, 'Any last words?'

Bill tried to think of something, but couldn't do that clearly due to the stinging pain all over his body.

"Back at my home… you'd end up squished, bug!" he finally said lowly, staring hatefully in Firzé's eyes.

Firzé's eyes narrowed, and sent a powerful kick at Bill's stomach. The impact made the boy lose his breath, and sank to the ground face first. Firzé then calmly walked so he was behind Bill, looking at his back. He lifted one of his scythes, bringing it down quickly, a fresh new cut in the back. To add some variety to the tenth consecutive strike, he charged the other scythe with some black energy. He used his Pursuit attack and slashed at Bill's back hard, creating an X form on it.

Bill felt an immense, stinging pain surge through his body after the second strike on his back. All of the previous pain this night was nothing compared to this sudden burning pain. He screamed the loudest scream in his life, a scream that only symbolized the last dying scream.

Firzé, and the rest of the Scythers, were startled by this screaming. But Bill never noticed, he was flailing with his arms and legs in pain. And the screaming, if he kept this up, he's die of suffocation due to all screaming. He jumped to his feet suddenly, and twitched his body every now and then, still screaming.

But the screaming suddenly stopped, and Bill only heard his own breathing. He almost succumbed into the dread when he saw the Scythers still surrounding him, but he saw Firzé approaching carefully.

He started to whine a little again, and soon turned into a whimper. He had forgotten the previous pain in his wounds, the only pain that existed was the effects of the Pursuit attack. He knew he couldn't win in a hand to hand combat, Firzé and his kind had a far too wide range, but close combat was Bill's strongest attack style.

He tensed the muscles in his body, trying to minimize the pain. But when he saw the puddle of almost black blood behind him, he almost felt the panic grasp his mind again. Struggling to take his gaze off the puddle, he thought of another attack.

The Ember was too slow, and Fire Punch required being close up. He was too weak to change into another status, even that required some energy, and he had very little left.

_You could try catching him off guard with your Phoenix Palm,_ a dark voice told in his mind. Bill looked around himself strangely.

"Wha, What?" he said to no one.

_Where I am doesn't concern you! Attack him!_ the voice demanded.

'_Better do what whatever say, Phoenix Palm is a fast attack after all, and I can use it in this status,'_ he thought for himself.

'You are indeed an odd human,' Firzé said, still looking at Bill. During his years of battling experiences, he had never witnessed an opponent with that extreme weakness of the Pursuit attack. But it came to his mind that Bill was very fragile against that type, and to win this match easily, he'd just have to hit him with many Pursuits in rapid succession. He smiled inwardly.

"I'm not human!" Bill spat out at Firzé, not caring what the Scyther would think. But he saw Firzé wasn't even fazed by that comment, he probably expected it nevertheless. But he stretched out his arms forward, facing Firzé and charged up his Phoenix Palm. His hands glowed in a pale green aura, and he leaned forward a little to withstand the force of the recoil the attack caused.

Firzé stared down his opponent, knowing that he was about to send out another projectile. He readied himself for a dodge and counter.

Bill released the energy in his hands and an invisible wind shot was shot towards Firzé. The recoil pushed him back because of the force the attack caused, but stood tall afterwards.

Firzé, however, never saw the attack coming, and was struck by it. The immense force of the concentrated air sent him sprawling to the ground. That assault had caught him off guard, but the pain was temporary.

But when he was about to get to his feet, a fist to his head sent him down again. He quickly recovered and blocked the next fist with his blade, and proceeded to block the blows with the scythes. He was unable to get up due to Bill constantly punching him in rage.

Bill let out all of his rage against the leader Scyther, sending blow after blow mercilessly at him. But the mantis continued to block every one of them flawlessly. He started to feel worn out, but then his adrenaline activated in his body, temporary shutting off the fatigue and pain inside him, and punched more fiercely to no success.

Firzé knew he couldn't fight at this temporary disadvantage he was in, and tried to find a room for retaliation. But he eventually managed to block both of Bill's fists and placed his clawed foot against Bill's stomach and pushed him away hard.

Bill was knocked back, but he didn't fall down. Unfortunately, the effects of the adrenaline were already diminishing, and he felt the pain and the exhaustion overcoming him. He saw Firzé jump to his feet, glaring at him furiously.

_Don't give up now!_ the dark voice said to Bill. _Here, let me be of assistance,_ it offered. Bill felt his body being painfully energized, it felt like the wound on his back was about to tear up his whole body. He clenched his fists and screamed.

Firzé didn't let himself to be intimidated by this, and attacked, aiming for the heart. He wanted to end this so it would be over with once and for all.

But Bill amazingly predicted the strike and spun around the Scyther. Having an open shot, he grabbed the neck, and felt a strange urge to sink his teeth into Firzé's shoulder. He bent down and prepared to bite.

The dark green Scyther never predicted the boy to avoid that attack; amazingly he had caught him from behind. But when he noticed Bill was trying to bite him, he scoffed.

'Go ahead, fool, let's see if you can bite through my armour,' he calmly said, knowing that Bill would only hurt himself.

Bill's teeth didn't pierce the carapace, but he kept squeezing, snarling in the progress. He wasn't thinking while he tried to pierce the armour, the only thought in his head was: "bite your victim".

'Why do you bother?' Firzé calmly asked, watching Bill's attempt to bite him. 'You're a weak human, there's no way you could-'

CRACK!

He was interrupted by a sudden pain in his shoulder. He twitched at first, but that caused it to hurt more. Firzé had had enough, he kicked Bill's shin and then kicked him in his stomach, getting him off him.

Bill reeled backwards; blood was dripping down his mouth, Firzé's blood. He showed a big portion of satisfaction when he grinned at Firzé, who just glared back at him.

"I'm not human… it told you before," said Bill darkly, it didn't sound like his own voice. After saying that, he dashed forward, a black aura following him from behind. When he was in range, he started to punch wildly.

But Firzé entered a defensive position and evaded the punches, one after another, with ease. He had one clear advantage over Bill, stamina, he noticed after every punch that Bill was getting more and more tired and worn out. But Firzé himself wasn't even close to tired, he was in perfect shape when it came to stamina, and when his opponent's stamina failed him, he would emerge victorious.

After a frenzy of punches, Bill's stamina began to fail him. Every punch became weaker, and his legs felt weak, he found it hard to stand up straight. The punches got slower, and more inaccurate.

But finally his legs gave in to the exhaustion; he fell down on all fours and tried to stand up, but failed. Two scythes pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him to the ground.

'I win…' said Firzé slowly, yet triumphantly. But to add more humiliation to his defeated opponent, he kicked him on his forehead, ripping up the wound which blood had coagulated on. Bill was flung backwards and landed on his back, staring weakly upwards.

It didn't take long before he saw Firzé looming over him, licking his fangs in anticipation. A droplet of his saliva landed on Bill's left cheek. He closed his eyes in disgust, showing more of his expression through gritted teeth.

But then Firzé snapped away, walking towards one of his minions. He was probably going to discuss how they will feast on him. Just the thought made Bill nauseous, but he didn't really have much to throw up after two times this night.

Times…

Time…

He slowly lifted his head to look at the ring of Scythers. They all seemed to be a safe distance from him. A brilliant idea formed in his mind. He didn't care what consequences it would cause this time. The only thing he cared for this moment was…

…to survive at all costs.

He dug through his pocket and sat up, showing a lunatic glee. Most of the Scythers turned to his attention, wondering what he was up to. But Bill had a hold of his most precious item, the stop watch. He coughed before speaking.

"Sayonara, suckers!" With that, he let his thumb push the button that would stop time.

Everything went as silent as in a tomb, he had stopped all of the Scythers from moving, and he had all the time to get out of the forest. His future plans were to eliminate every witness in the towns now, he couldn't afford to reveal his true identity. He had to protect it, at all costs.

Suddenly, a familiar green tinted scythe was placed on Bill's shoulder. He turned around to see a very upset Amethyst.

'What sorcery is this? What have you done to them? ANSWER ME! BRING THEM BACK!' she yelled hysterically, placing her other scythe on Bill's shoulder, shaking him.

Through the screams of the female Scyther, another brilliant plan formed in his head.

"I will bring them back," said Bill calmly, yet weakly. "But on one condition…" He grinned evilly at the terrified Scyther.

_**To be continued…

* * *

**_

A/N

So, the Scyther conflict in Viridian is still not solved, but I promise, the next chapter will be the end (?) of it! Then, after that chapter, I will finally be on my way on writing fresh new chapter. YIPPIEE!


	18. The Way Back

_**Chapter 17**_

The only thing I have to note is that I will use another type of ruler from now on, the quintuple hyphen ruler:

-----

Like that, when there's a scene switch, but the main will be used to separate A/N and story, heh. The main ruler is not too much into my liking, but I will change it in all previous chapters sometime in the future. The prologue might also be changed, as well as the first two chapters. It seems there's something wrong with them… anyway, here's chapter 17! As well as the chapter's quote!

'Because that's what you are, a human.' – Amethyst.

-----

"**_The Way Back"_**

'You want me to do _what_?' The female Scyther couldn't believe what she had heard.

Bill grinned slightly, but his wounds were hurting, especially the one on his back. "You don't want to, Amber?" he said darkly.

'I'm Amethyst! Don't compare me to that bitch!' snapped Amethyst, quickly shutting her mouth after. She looked at one of the Scythers.

"Don't worry, she can't hear you," Bill assured. "But anyway, you're my way out of this forest, and if you refuse, you can kiss your friends goodbye."

Amethyst grunted a little first, but then sighed. 'They'll find out, you know that!' she warned, narrowing her eyes at him.

Bill held up his watch proudly. "No!" he exclaimed. "As long as I have time itself in my hands they won't know what happens!" But he fell to his knees due to the pain.

"But I think you need to fix a potion for me first… or two," he then added.

'You ask for much, human,' mumbled Amethyst, 'Leader won't be happy when he gets to know you have robbed our stock of "acquired" potions.'

"You don't have to address Firzé as "Leader", he doesn't hear you!" Bill got to his feet and walked towards the frozen Firzé. When he was close enough he began knocking on the Scyther's head. "Hello, anybody home? You're so pathetic, Firzé!" he yelled at the Scyther, laughing shortly after.

Amethyst gasped of course, if the leader had heard that, Bill would've been torn into shreds.

"See? He can't hear me," he said matter-of-factly. "You know what? If there's someone here you don't like, you should yell it out on them," he then suggested jokingly. But after he received a glare from Amethyst he flinched.

'No thanks,' she replied coldly, 'I will not fall for your acts of blasphemy!'

"What are you talking about? Firzé said that too, what the heck am I blaspheming?" he asked, wondering what had done. But just as Amethyst opened her mouth Bill gestured her to stay quiet. "You know what? Let's just walk to that damn stock of potions so we, I mean, I can get out of this damn forest!" he snapped, looking at her angrily. "Your friends' lives are at stake!"

She growled lightly, not liking to be spoken to in that manner. But Bill had a point after all. Hesitatingly, she beckoned him to follow. 'This way…' was the lowly reply. 'It's not far from here.'

She started to walk as soon as Bill approached.

"Just remember to watch your step; the environment is very lethal at this stage. Even a leaf could cut open a wound. Even a straw of grass could pierce that armour of yours," Bill warned in case the Scyther would take a route with thick foliage.

Amethyst stopped and looked at him coldly. She stayed silent for a while before speaking. 'Thanks for the advise,' she simply said, showing no sign of appreciation at all.

They resumed walking, with Amethyst leading the way. Bill had to tell her to wait up a couple of times since his wounds were getting to him all the time. And he had to make sure he didn't touch anything too sharp looking while they walked, as well as warning Amethyst too.

-----

Amethyst stopped.

'We're here,' she stated, turning to Bill. 'The healing potions are behind that bush!' She pointed at the bush. Bill looked at her and nodded, walking towards the bush.

Bill did the mistake when he tried to separate the foliage; he cut himself lightly due to the stillness of them. Cursing silently, he brought up his stop watch, glancing at Amethyst briefly. He moved his thumb to the button of the watch, preparing to quickly unfreeze and freeze time.

Amethyst advanced curiously as she tried to catch a glimpse on what Bill was doing. She managed to see when he clicked on that watch twice. She put two and two together.

'Human,' she said, starting to walk towards him. 'I've been thinking.'

Bill turned to her suspiciously. "About what?" he replied worriedly.

'That thing,' she said, referring to the stop watch, 'doesn't seem too complicated at all.' She began to laugh softly, which was creeping Bill out.

"So… so what's your point then," he replied, trying to keep a straight face.

'Why haven't I thought of this before? I could just kill you right here and take that thing from your dead body. And then I could simply break the curse you laid on my friends.'

Bill slowly backed away from the Scyther who had seen through him. "Hey, look. Only I can lift that curse, Amethyst, if you kill me, you'll end up in this timeless state forever!" he warned, trying to change her mind.

'No, no, no,' she calmly said, managing to force him against a tree. 'I'm willing to take that risk, especially after what you did to Ace!'

"Why do you care for that stupid kid? He asked for it!" Bill snarled, trying not to show any fear.

Amethyst growled and placed one of her scythe against his neck, pinning him to the tree. Though she was using the other side of the blade, which wasn't sharp at all.

'That "stupid kid" is my son, human!' she snarled. 'Don't even dare speaking ill of him while I'm here!' She withdrew her scythe and used it to pin Bill to the tree, making sure he couldn't move his arms.

"You know, I didn't intend to overdo it, Amethyst," Bill managed to say, not liking the disadvantage he was in now.

Amethyst moved her head closer to Bill's, snapping her jaws at him before speaking.

'Bah! After you wounded him you left him to die, human! He is just a kid!' She stared at him fiercely; Bill could hear nothing but his own heart beating like crazy.

"But I'm a kid too, dammit!" he swore, "How would I know he was one?"

Amethyst regarded him shortly, sighing afterwards. 'You're amazingly strong for a kid… so you can't be one. But at your current state, you're not even able to take on me!' She leered, raising her other scythe.

Bill tried to break free, but he was too weak. He really needed that potion, or he would never make it. He saw the Scyther swipe at him. He closed his eyes, but nothing happened. But when he thought about it, he knew that Scyther cuts didn't hurt at first.

He opened his eyes only to look right at the tip of the scythe that would have swiped him. He yelped and pressed himself to the tree he was pinned against, trying to get some distance from the threatening scythe.

'Aww,' cooed Amethyst, moving the scythe so it was near his cheek. 'Not so tough anymore?' She turned the scythe and caressed his cheek once.

Bill quickly tilted his head to the side to avoid the scythe, gritting his teeth.

'Well, too bad, because you're coming with me now!' she then snarled, letting go of him. She pointed her scythe to the direction they came from. 'We're going back to where we left the others, and once we're there you _will_ lift that curse,' she ordered, waiting for him to start walking.

But Bill stood on his ground, refusing to move.

'Get a move on!' Amethyst barked, 'All of us are very eager to punish you for killing Blade!' She raised her scythe and prodded Bill lightly, showing hints of impatience.

"I didn't kill him," said Bill quietly, looking down. Amethyst just scoffed. "It's true! Those crazy Fuchsia Scythers killed him! One of them was named Stryke!" he claimed, he had forgotten the other two who were there.

'Those barbarians would never bother coming all the way here just to kill Blade,' Amethyst just said, looking away nonchalantly.

"Blade came all the way here, and they called him Yaquést!" he added, knowing that this would convince her.

Amethyst stared at him, both suspiciously and surprised. 'He said his name was something like that when he first came… But why did they kill him?' she asked, starting to believe him.

"Their leader, Sonar, or something, said that he didn't want any deserters from the swarm."

'Figures,' mumbled Amethyst. 'Leader said that Blade would come in handy in case this Fuchsia did exist, which it does, after all.' She shuddered. 'Leader will not like this…'

"Well, that isn't my problem! The problem is that Firzé used that misunderstanding to fuel your hate for me even more." Bill knew that he could once again influence the Scyther to help him.

'There's a point in that,' said Amethyst lowly, 'Firzé took advantage of Ace's condition to convince the others so they wanted you dead as well. Stupid Firzé, taking advantage of my wounded son. He didn't care one bit until Ace said he had been hurt by a human.'

Bill turned to get one of those potions. "You know, I'm really sorry about Ace."

Amethyst walked up to him, blocking the path to the potions. 'Listen, human. It's irrelevant to me whether you're sorry or not. What's relevant to me is what you did to him, and I will never forgive you for that.' She moved aside, allowing him to go to the potions. 'Go ahead and take one,' she said lowly, glaring at him.

Bill hesitatingly walked over to where the potions where, he slid apart the foliage and discovered a lot of potions. There was only one problem.

He didn't know which one the healing potion was.

"Eh, Amethyst," he started awkwardly. Amethyst looked at him. "Uh, which one of them is the healing potion?" he asked.

Amethyst stomped over to the stash of potions, pointing at one of them. 'That's the healing potion! How come you don't know how they look like?' she growled, losing her patience for Bill. 'Here!' She scooped up a potion with her blade and tossed it to Bill, who caught it.

Bill looked at the bottle for a while, and then tried unscrewing the top off it.

'No, no!' shouted Amethyst exasperatedly. 'How stupid can you get? You push that button to spray it over your body!' she instructed, not believing what she saw.

"Thanks," said Bill lowly as he sprayed the liquid over his body, mostly over his wounds of course. But shortly after, he felt his body sting painfully. He yelped a little.

'Don't worry, it always hurts at first, then it gets better,' assured Amethyst, turning away from Bill in disgust. She heard him whine a little. 'Oh, please, keep it down,' she told him, 'wimp,' she added silently.

Bill just gave her a 'whatever' look and walked towards her. "So when are we leaving?" he asked lowly, looking at her inferiorly.

She slowly turned around, gazing into his eyes. She jerked her head to a direction, giving him a cue of leaving. They both wandered off towards the exit of the forest, which was pretty far away. Bill reminded Amethyst of the hazards in the forest caused by the time freeze.

-----

'Well,' said Amethyst after she stopped again, 'it's not far from the exit from here. Just walk that way, and you'll be at the edge.'

Bill started to walk to the direction Amethyst had pointed at. While he walked by her she gazed at him intensively, which made Bill shiver.

'You're a wimp,' she suddenly said. Bill almost jumped in surprise. 'You lost against Firzé, and fled with your tail between your legs like the weak Growlithe you are. You're doing nothing else than leaving in shame and defeat, but you're human after all, you're just a human.'

Bill tried to shrug most of what Amethyst had said. "Nice speech," he replied. "Are you trying to make me reconsider?"

Amethyst just looked at him, not shaking her head. 'No,' she said simply, 'I'm just stating the truth, that's all.' She kept staring at him emotionlessly. 'Because that's what you are, a human.'

Ignoring what Amethyst said, Bill turned around to leave. "Well, I'm off now, thanks for the help, Amethyst." He walked away, heading for the exit of the forest. "I think you should head back, since when I've activated time again, your friends will wonder where you are, apart from me," he reminded.

Amethyst watched him disappear, she knew he was right to a degree and headed back to where the rest of her friends were.

-----

Bill felt like being free like the bird when he exited the forest. Luckily for him, Amethyst had been kind enough to show him the exit which was nowhere far from the path leading to Pewter, and all he had to do was to walk down that path. It was much lighter than it was before, since dawn had come. He looked up at the sky; it had the mix of morning colours in it, with the reddish orange that faded into the orangey yellow. But he noticed a familiar mouse Pokémon not far ahead from him.

Pikachu.

He looked at the mouse, he didn't appear to walking, he just gazed at the city which was barely visible. He picked up the stop watch and pressed the button, hearing the faint howls of the wind. He shivered lightly due to the cold, but it was nothing after the experience in the pond.

But at the same moment, Pikachu leapt up surprisingly, feeling a presence nearby. The yellow mouse quickly turned around.

'Whoa-ho-ho!' he shouted in surprise, breathing heavily due to the sudden gasp. 'Where did you come from?' he asked hastily, electricity building up in his cheeks. Bill just pointed upwards jokingly, smiling a bit. 'Don't kid around with me, human, how the heck did you escape them, and how did you manage to sneak up on me like that?' He glared at Bill, expecting an answer.

"Well, you simply bailed out, so-"

'I warned you about that!' snapped Pikachu. 'Going to the pond, how stupid can you get? You put both of our lives on a line this thin.' Pikachu raised a paw and held two of his small claws very close.

Knowing that the mouse was right, Bill decided to explain. "Well, you see, they caught me again, and, eh, they got a little angry. But I actually did manage to escape them again," he finished, knowing directly after that this was the worst lie ever.

'If so, how do I know you aren't sent out by them to retrieve me?' asked Pikachu suspiciously.

"Are you crazy? Why would I do that?" Pikachu smirked confidently, some electric sparks cracked on his cheeks.

'Prove it,' he said flatly.

Bill stood still for a moment, not knowing what to say. He needed to come up with something fast, or else this mouse would fry him. "Hey, listen-" he started, but was abruptly cut off.

'No, _you_ listen!' the mouse snapped. 'You sided with them to save your own life, you coward! I ought to deal with you right now before you manage to call them.' Pikachu built up energy in his cheeks and released a bolt of thunder towards Bill. He managed to jump out of the way, barely dodging the electricity by inches.

This weren't going exactly what Bill had planned from the beginning; the Pikachu had turned hostile and tried to kill him. He dodged another Thunderbolt attack from the mouse, but realized that the mouse was standing right over him, grinning as he charged up for another Thunderbolt.

"C'mon, Pikachu, let's settle down, please?" he suggested, but received a glare from the mouse.

'Just admit it,' he replied, storing the electricity to unleash it on Bill.

A thought struck Bill like lightning, and he finally knew what to do. "If you keep doing that, you'll reveal the position of both you and me." Pikachu calmed down his charging, keeping it more discreet. Eventually, he stopped charging.

'Think you made a smart move, but at the instant you move, human, you're dead.'

"Okay, so even if I did save you by delaying those Scythers by interfering so they had to postpone your death, which led to you not being killed, then you left me to die by the pond when you sensed a Scyther approaching, and now you want to kill me? What the heck is your problem?" A small bolt was fired right next to him, which scared him.

'The problem is that they would never let a human run away from them, but in this case you and those Scythers must've made a compromise. I know that all you have to do id to call them so they can get me, so you'll get your freedom.'

"How about this?" Bill suggested. "How would I have gotten out of the forest? One of them must've led me out of there, right?" Pikachu nodded. "Yeah, and if that is so, then they should be seeing us right now."

Pikachu stayed silent, and glanced at the forest briefly. He then looked down at Bill. 'You son of a …'

"You better start running," he said smugly. This lie seemed to be more probable to the mouse, as he saw him look at the forest worriedly every now and then. He stepped away from Bill.

"One more thing," he suddenly said. Pikachu sent him a glare.

'What?'

"I think you will succeed running away, but I just wanted to note this for you. Next time we meet, I will not understand what you say, so don't bother speaking to me. And you better not saying one word to anyone who or what I am."

'Why shouldn't I?'

"Well, you see, I did save your life back there, and even though you did agree on helping me out you still bailed out."

Pikachu crossed his small arms as he grumbled a little.

"Come on," Bill pleaded, "If they find out what I've done this night, I'll in a heap of trouble! Just say that you managed to escape by yourself."

'Yeah, yeah, whatever,' said Pikachu, rolling his eyes.

"You better run now, before they come. You have a head start so you should seize that chance," Bill suggested, waiting for the mouse to run off.

Pikachu looked at him for a while, and took some retreating steps. "You're really strange, you know that?" After he said that, he turned around and darted away at a high speed.

Bill let out a sigh of relief, happy of that the Pikachu had believed him what he said. Even though it was a lie, he had gotten away with it. But then he thought about the Scythers; he realized that there would be quite the confusion over there, and Amethyst must've told them what she had done.

He didn't know if she had told them or not, but he figured it'd be better to stay at the safe side. He picked up his stop watch and promptly pressed the button, stopping the time yet again. He hadn't counted the times he had stopped the time, but he knew he had done it a lot of times.

-----

In another time era, possibly the future, a green fairy like Pokémon sat by a tree, watching with its blue eyes over other Pokémon when they played, it liked when the world was this peaceful. The green Pokémon approached a small stream, looking at its reflection of itself. It greeted a Magikarp jollily as it swam by.

But suddenly, the Pokémon felt that something was wrong. It fluttered its small wings to fly up to a tree. Once settled down on one of the highest branches, it closed its eyes, only showing the pair of black rings around its eyes. It had had that feeling again, someone or something was disturbing the time universe.

It first thought it was wrong when it had felt the disturbance, but recently it had been very rapid. But the disturbances were very brief, they faded away as quick as they were sensed, which would make it hard for the Pokémon to locate.

The Pokémon shot his eyes open in determination. As the deity of time-travelling, as well as the protector of this forest in Johto, it had to find out the source of these disturbances. Finding the source would take time, as it could only feel the disturbances when they occurred, which wasn't very long. The question was when and where. The sensation would get stronger if it neared the right time and/or place.

It was for everyone's best, it thought. Manipulating time was dangerous, as it could set the whole universe in jeopardy.

And if the source would turn out to be hostile, it would have no choice but to kill it.

-----

Bill didn't have any problems when he arrived to Pewter, time was stopped and he could easily walk his way into the city. He had walked by the Pikachu a while ago and found it amusing that he would arrive to Pewter before him.

But another thought struck him, how would he explain the loss of his red shirt? How would he explain the absence from the PokéCentre where he should've met up with Jonathan?

He thought up a quick scenario of how he would do this, and after that, he would have to get out of Pewter fast. He walked around in the city, trying to find a spot somewhere where he could sit down and rest for a while. He eventually found a spot in an alley and sat down, leaning against the wall. He hoped this would work, or else the police would probably turn him in.

Realizing that he was still in Pokémon status, he thought it'd be a good idea to change back to human again. He put his hands together and changed back to human status, feeling much weaker. It was still hard to get used to the sudden power changes, and he felt dizzy and tired after the transformation.

He held his stop watch in his hand, looking at it. It had saved his life again, but would it do that every time? This watch could get him into more trouble than he could get out of. Nevertheless, he had learned three lessons this night.

Never provoke, challenge, and make fun of the first Pokémon you see if you don't know its strengths. Revenge, is not always sweet, sometimes it tastes very bitter when you fail. And lastly, never think you are stronger that a Pokémon if you don't know how they are.

With that, he pressed the button, starting time once again. Tired after this night, he dozed off into sleep.

-----

'He's gone,' said a green mantis bluntly. The darker green mantis stared blankly at the ground.

'I can see that,' he slowly replied, 'just like that time… when he challenged me,' he quietly said to himself. The sudden disappearance of the human had been too much for Firzé, he was _this_ close, and the human had gotten away.

Some rustling interrupted his state of shock. Another Scyther emerged from the bushes, Amethyst.

'Amethyst?' Hunter exclaimed, having a weird look at his face. 'You were here, and now you're there?'

The female Scyther looked down in guilt, not saying anything.

'He… he placed a curse on you… you didn't move… you… you…' she stammered, remembering the dread she felt when she saw them all frozen in time. 'You were like statues,' she finished lowly, still looking down.

Sharp stepped forward. 'Now,' he started calmly before he was thrown into a fit of exasperation. '_What_ are you talking about? We were not unable to move, that filthy human just disappeared, and took you with him so you could lead him out, you traitor!' he accused, raising his scythe to strike at Amethyst.

'No!' she objected, 'the whole nature itself was frozen! Frozen in time!'

'Bah! You expect to believe that?' snarled Sharp, raising his blade a little higher to add more power to the strike.

But when hr brought it down, a clash was heard. It was Firzé who had interrupted the strike, and he looked at Sharp very solemnly. 'Let her speak,' he simply told Sharp, holding his scythe near him threateningly.

Amethyst told Firzé about how the human had used her; she told him that he had picked up that strange object which he used to stop the time itself. And when she finished with the part where she had led the human to the edge of the forest, Firzé turned around.

'Well,' he said slowly, 'it's nothing to do about it then.' He looked up at the sky, which was almost filled with daylight. _'But next time, human…'_ he thought darkly.

'Sharp, Vanilla,' he then called. Two Scythers looked at the direction of their leader. 'As you both know, the human didn't hold his part of our agreement.' He turned to face the two, 'I want you two, to find Plum… and kill him! Is that clear?' The two Scythers nodded, and took off to search after Plum.

'And for the rest of us,' he then added, 'head to the sleeping grounds to get some sleep. But be alert, it's daytime, so those Beedrill and Butterfree might be at it today!'

All of the Scythers took off, following their leader to the sleeping grounds, which was located deep into the forest.

-----

"Hey, kid," someone said to Bill, tapping him lightly. Bill grumbled in his sleep as he twitched a little. The raven black haired boy sighed and made another attempt on waking him up. "Kid, wake up! It's not good sleeping outside during nights!"

"Mmhm, bara fem minuter till, morsan," mumbled Bill, half awake with his eyes closed. The boy looked at him suspiciously.

"What in the name of… Hey, kid, get up!" he finally half shouted, shaking Bill hard this time.

"Men för helvete, morsan!" Bill grumbled as he shook his head to wake up faster. When his vision cleared, he saw a familiar trainer looking down at him. "G'morning," he said tiredly.

"What did you say before?" the boy asked suspiciously, he had never heard that kind of language in his life before. Bill looked at him and winced. He was certain this boy had heard him speaking in his natural tongue, and probably demanded to know what he said.

"Uh, have you never, like, heard of sleep talking? I tend to say strange things when I'm asleep."

Bill didn't know if that boy believed him or not, but when he saw him rolling his eyes, so he was certain of that he did believe him.

"Why the hell were you sleeping outside? You do realize you could've caught a hell of a cold, don't you?" he scolded. What irritated Bill was that this boy seemed younger than him, but he knew he had seen him before.

"Have I seen you before?" Bill inquired, trying to get around the other boy's question.

"Hugh from yesterday," he replied promptly. "Now you answer my question!" Hugh then demanded.

"Well, uh, it's kinda hard to remember, but a mugger with a knife attacked me and said he wanted my red shirt I had yesterday-"

"Bill?" someone interrupted.

Both boys turned their heads to where the voice had come from, and saw a blonde boy.

"Where have you been? I waited almost all night for you at the PokéCentre!" Jonathan yelled, obviously angry. "What did you do? Did you really sit up all night at that library?"

"Until it closed!" Bill replied to his friend, "Then on my way back some mugger threatened me with a knife and wanted my red shirt, why I don't know, but he then sliced up my t-shirt and knocked me out cold," he made up quickly.

"Bill," said Jonathan slowly, "you didn't go back to the forest, did you?"

That made Bill jump to his feet. "Are you nuts? If I had gone back to the forest, I would've been dead now! Jeez!" he blurted out. But he still had an odd feeling of nervousness in his stomach.

But Hugh kept a suspicious gaze at Bill, knowing that something was not right. "Well, you don't seem like an intelligent being if you had a Scyther to attack you," he then just said, smirking. "It's not very smart to provoke a Pokémon like Scyther after all."

Bill snapped his attention towards Hugh, clearly offended. "Who told you to be a smartass?"

Hugh smirked again. "Who told me not to?" He leaned closer to Bill. "I will leave you now so I can attend to my own businesses, but be aware of the Scythers. They might come and get you for provoking them," he taunted as he left.

"Shut up!" Bill yelled back, shivering lightly.

"Don't care about him, Bill, I think you should need a lookup if you have received any wounds," Jonathan suggested. "By the way, the nurse wanted to talk with you about something today, I don't know what, but she said it was important."

Bill felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, he knew what it was about, and it was about the blood sample the nurse had wanted to take yesterday. Realizing he could run away without being marked suspicious, he had to take the chance.

"Is something wrong?" inquired Jonathan.

"Eh, no, my back hurts a little after sleeping on the stone," excused Bill quickly.

"Really? It looks more like you're shocked," Jonathan stated.

"Well, uh, it wouldn't be good if I entered looking like this. Do you know where there's a clothes shop or something so I can get some new clothes." He looked at his ripped t-shirt. In one way he was right, since there would be a lot of suspicion if he walked in to the PokéCentre looking like this.

"I think there's one over there," said Jonathan simply, beckoning Bill to follow him.

The shop was just two blocks away from where they were. When they arrived, Bill walked to the door, but before he entered, he looked over his shoulder. "Jon, this might take some time, so don't expect me to be finished quickly."

Jonathan sighed and waited for Bill to complete the shopping. But he didn't have to wait bored, though, since he had spotted a trainer in the vicinity and thought that he could spend some time battling. But he quickly recognized the female trainer when he approached, he couldn't mistake that black hair.

"If it isn't Pat," he said self assuredly.

But she didn't seem as happy to see him. "Jony-boy, I don't have time to battle right now," she quickly said.

"Why not? Scared that I might beat you?" he mocked, knowing that she would get angry. She did, but she didn't want to battle.

"Look, Jony-boy, I've creamed you five times in a row! Right now I don't have any time! I found my Pikachu recently, or more like he found me."

Jonathan looked at her. "What happened to him?" he asked.

"He was kidnapped by the Scyther swarm last night! I thought he was dead by now, but he escaped them, as it seems to me. In any case, he needs healing, so I'm going to the PokéCentre." She glanced at Jonathan mischievously. "So, you finally started your journey? I thought you'd be hangin' out in Viridian forever," she taunted.

"Yeah, I finally built up the courage," mumbled Jonathan, looking down.

"Well, if you wondered, I already achieved the earth badge two days ago," she boasted proudly, showing off her six badges.

"Well, two are missing," noted Jonathan.

Pat seemed to blush slightly, but then managed to speak. "Well, uh, Charmander and I had some trouble here at first, and we had trouble in Cerulean too, so we decided to skip those badges and get them later…"

Jonathan smiled a little when he heard that. "So that means I got the boulder badge before you? At least I bet you to that," he said slyly. He showed his boulder badge proudly as he said, "look."

"Don't make such a big deal of it!" she snapped, "You and Bulbasaur-"

"Ivysaur," corrected Jonathan.

"So he finally evolved?" she said, surprised. "Anyway, you and Ivysaur have an advantage at that gym, while my Charmander, who's a Charizard now I might add, had bad disadvantage in that gym before. But now I have a stronger team, so I'm pretty sure I'll sweep the two gyms now."

Jonathan felt a rush of envy overcome him when she mentioned that her Charmander had evolved to his final stage, while his Bulbasaur only was in his middle stage right now. But he knew that even though they both ad started at the same time, she had been more ambitious when it came to training. He really regretted the time he spent at Viridian so he could beat the gym there, but in the end it just turned out to be nigh impossible.

"Nice talking to you, Jony-boy, but as I said before, I need to get Pikachu checked at the centre in case he has some injuries." She turned to leave, but glanced over her shoulder, "Are you coming, or are about to leave for Cerulean already?" she asked.

"Uh, I'm waiting for my friend who's in the clothes shop. He said he needed some new threads, and he said it would take time," he replied.

"What?" she said baffled. "Has Leon not reached any further than Pewter?"

"It's not Leon, he's already in Celadon of what I heard," Jonathan shot back. "It's a really strange guy I met a couple of days ago. He acts really strange, and he seems to have lost his memory. But he still remembers his name, but doesn't seem to remember where he's from." Pat listened carefully, a little enthralled by Jonathan's description of Bill.

"But do you know what the weirdest thing is?" She shook her head. "He doesn't have any knowledge about Pokémon!"

"Now that's freaky," she noted, but she then remembered Pikachu again. "Look, can't you just tell me more about him at the centre? He knows where that's located, doesn't he?"

Jonathan shrugged and figured that Bill would find his way to the PokéCentre without any hassle anyway so he nodded to Pat and followed her to the PokéCentre. When they were both there, Pat had asked the nurse to check her Pikachu, and Jonathan was asked why his friend hadn't come yet. He explained to the nurse why.

Pat then turned to Jonathan curiously. "What did the nurse want with your friend? Is there something he has done?"

"I really don't know, but I hope I won't get involved with it if it means bad business. He's strange, I tell you! Sometimes he says strange things in some weird language!" spat Jonathan out quickly. He saw Pat looking at him curiously.

"Strange language, you say?" She thought for a moment. "You see, I met a boy who said something really strange to me a couple of days ago. I think his name was Bill, or something," she said lowly.

Jonathan almost jumped in surprise, how did Pat know Bill? "Bill?" he said simply at firs. She nodded. "That's my friend's name."

"Say what?" Pat coughed out, surprised by the coincidence. "How come that both you and I seem to meet the same person in roughly the same days?"

"Whatever it is, Pat, it's scary, and I think we need to confront Bill on this." Pat just nodded, for once she could agree with Jonathan. _'But the question also is that ha was Bill really doing that night? Better not mention anything to Pat, I have this feeling that Bill could be dangerous if I press him too much,' _he thought afterwards, trembling.

_**To be continued…**_

-----

Translations

"Mmhmm, bara fem minuter till, morsan." – "Mmhmm, just five more minutes, mom."

"Men för helvete, morsan!" – "But for Hell's sake, mom!"

-----

A/N

Well, my fellow readers, it appears that I've finally gotten back in track, after roughly seven or eight month of updating! To remind you that I had been writing in six month or so before the update… man, updating takes time… Anyways, feel free to review.


	19. Life and Times of Plum

_**Chapter 18**_

In case you're wondering, this is pretty much a filler chapter of sorts.

* * *

'I didn't mean to hurt you, Will…' – Plum. 

-----

"_**Life and Times of Plum"**_

The lone Scyther walked around in the grassy field outside Viridian forest. The morning sun lighted up the field a little, though most of it was shadowed by the trees of the forest. Plum smiled.

He was free.

Finally, he'd be able to make it back to Johto so he could reunite with the swarm there. And the moment he'd see Skye again would be the happiest one in his life. But then he frowned.

Happy? He was also happy with his trainer before they separated. Having stopped walking about, he let the memories flow.

-----

"_Look! The egg's hatching!" a young voice said excitedly. After hearing those first words, he broke out of the egg completely._

_He was met by a kind, young face looking at him, fascinated. The young boy smiled happily as he carefully let the Scyther hatchling walk over to him. He then extended his hand to pet him, but he was a little shy, so he swiped with his scythe to keep the hand away. The boy backed off, taken aback, but then he advanced again, getting down to his level._

_The boy didn't seem to be a threat now, but his bigger guardians seemed to be, since they eyed him suspiciously. But he waited for the boy to extend his hand again, wondering what he would do. He closed his eyes, waiting. Something soft was stroking the side of his head, and he opened his eyes._

"_Careful, Will, it could be hostile!" the big female guardian warned. But the boy didn't listen to her; he was still stroking his cheek fearlessly. _

_But when the boy stopped, he felt worried._

'_No, why you stop?' he asked, wanting to be petted more. The boy looked at him and giggled; he probably didn't understand what he said, but when he bug carefully advanced, he seemed to get the hint and resumed stroking his head._

_The newly hatched Scyther cooed, and rested his head on his master's shoulder._

-----

Plum sighed. He'd never forget the first seconds of his life, they were wonderful.

But when he thought about his ex-trainer, he also thought of Bill. Their names sounded so alike, but there were still big differences between the two humans.

He also felt a rush of guilt, he hated lying, and he had lied to Bill about one or two things…

-----

_He didn't feel appreciated in one way. He had grown to his full size and his blades and wings had hardened. He always thought his name was silly, but he could live with it. But he had seen Will with the other of his friends lately, and not with him._

_Of course they used to play outside and that, but he seemed to care more for the others, who were Houndour and Eevee. Will seemed to be more with them in the end, petting them more than him. Plum was fascinated of by the way Will embraced his arms around his other friends, but never did that with him. Why?_

_Was Will starting to like him less? Or was that action a sign of appreciating someone? If it was, Plum knew that since he really appreciated Will, he'd have to show it, one way or another._

_It was that day, when Will had come with some fresh sweet berries for him, he wanted to show how much he appreciated from his trainer. Thanking him with a happy smile, he stretched his scythes out wide and dashed towards Will. Will seemed scared and backed off, but when Plum was in range, he embraced his scythes around Will._

_Will screamed as the sharp scythes dug into his back. He tried to push Plum from him, but the Scyther just hugged tighter._

_When Plum heard the scream of pain his trainer emitted, he let go immediately, fearing that he could've hurt him. Will backed off quickly, leaving a trail of blood coming from his back._

_Will didn't die, of course, but he had been hurt._

_Later that day, he was eavesdropping to the conversation between his trainer and the parents through the door._

"_I told you, Will, it was a matter of time that this would happen!" the mother said, tending Will's wounds._

"_It's a predator, Will, this is just the beginning!" the father added._

"_It's a he, dad," muttered Will, not liking his parents speaking ill about Plum. They had never liked him, or more like, they were afraid of him._

"_It doesn't matter!" the father snapped. "He will soon realize that he can kill you this fast-" he snapped his fingers, "-and will do the same to the rest of us!"_

"_But, dad-"_

"_Don't "But, dad" me!" interrupted the father. "That bug is too dangerous for you to have, and you know why we moved from Fuchsia!"_

"_Isn't Houndour considered dangerous too?" objected Will lowly._

"_Of course not! He's a canine, and they are very loyal by nature."_

"_And a Scyther isn't?"_

"_Only to those stronger than them, son, when the time comes, it will realize it's stronger than you. And then it's too late, end of discussion."_

_Will got to his feet, and stormed off into his room. When he opened the door he turned to his parents._

"_You two are so shallow, you know that? Plum is the nicest Pokémon I've ever had! He probably meant well!" With that he slammed the door shut._

_Plum had hid under the bed when he had heard Will come. He had heard those words Will screamed to his parents, and was touched. He whined a little, which caused Will to look under the bed. _

"_Plum?" he said, seeing the Scyther hiding. "What are you doing there? Come on, get out of there," he said cheerily, trying to keep his mood up despite of what had happened._

'_No,' said Plum, shaking his head._

"_I'm not angry with you at all, come out now."_

_Plum slowly crawled out from under the bed and sat down on the bed. He felt the hand of his trainer being placed on his shoulder. He looked at him shyly._

"_Parents, you know," he started, staring into Plum's eyes. He then looked away with disgust, "they never understand anything!"_

-----

Plum looked up at the sky with teary eyes; he _had_ hurt a human, which he had told Bill he hadn't. He had lied.

'It was an accident…' he said to himself. 'I didn't mean to hurt you, Will…'

He resumed walking, keeping a low stare towards the ground. He then looked up again, wondering how Will had been. Had he started to train? How were Eevee and Houndour doing? Had Will changed since…?

Plum swallowed once, he thought about that moment again…

…the moment he realized when he was abandoned by Will.

-----

_It was just another day, when Will tried calling him into those pokéballs again. He never liked being in them; it felt so empty, and dark. But this day, Will seemed more impatient, and also a little troubled inside._

"_Okay, Plum, if you just come into the pokéball, I'll get you something really good," he offered._

_Plum stood still for a moment, he was still full of energy even after having dodged every attempt from his trainer to recall him. He gave Will a playful, yet suspicious look._

"_Trust me, you'll like it… you know… some berries might be involved."_

_Upon hearing the word berries, Plum jumped in joy. He had always liked sweet things, especially berries. He was too joyful to notice the sad look in Will's eyes. He stood on his ground so his trainer could call him into the pokéball. The next thing he knew was darkness. He heard Will's voice from the outside._

"_The longer you stay, the bigger… the bigger the… I mean your reward will get, alright?"_

_He knew there was something strange in the tone of the voice, it didn't exactly sound like Will's normal voice, but he then focused on the so-called reward he'd get if he stayed inside._

_How much time had passed? He had been inside for a good while now and Will had never told him to come out. If he broke out of his pokéball he'd probably get a scolding for not doing what his trainer had told him to. But he couldn't sit in there and wait, he wanted to be outside. Bracing himself for a possible scolding, he broke out of the pokéball._

_Where was he? He looked around at first worriedly, but then noticed a big pile of various berries. Jumping in joy, he sat down, looking at them. There were some berries arranged in a strange pattern north from the pile, but he didn't care._

_After having eaten some of the berries, he started to wonder where Will was. He seemed to be in the middle of a forest of sorts, maybe the forest he had been told to stay away from. What was Will planning? He was getting worried; he couldn't feel that Will was in the vicinity._

'_Will!' he called, waiting hopefully for Will to come running._

'_WILL!' he called again, louder this time. He was getting anxious now, why weren't Will here? He hated being alone._

'_WIIIILL!' he finally screamed out loud in devastation. If this was intended to be a joke, it was not funny at all. He started to shudder in fright; he didn't know where he was. He was… he was…_

_Alone…_

-----

Tears trickled down Plum's cheeks; this was probably one of his most painful memories. He still never understood why Will abandoned him, was it because what happened that day? Will never lied, so why should he have done that that day?

He then remembered when the swarm had found him, almost about to kill him for intrusion. He thought he was lucky when it turned out that the leader was openhearted to him, and understood that he was just a kid. And when he reasoned with the others so they would accept him, he brought it up that he'd still help him to adapt to their living style. And he seemed more open when he learned that Plum had only been living on vegetables and fruit during his whole lifetime.

But still, after that day, he had gained some friends, but he had some enemies too. They never liked him being in the swarm. Whenever he came near their vicinity, they mostly took a distance from him, but a few tended to threaten him.

Worst of them was Lazto.

Thinking of his worst enemy, besides Firzé, he also thought of Skye.

'Skye…' he whispered.

-----

_Two months had passed since he was accepted by Emerald, the leader of the Ilex swam. He was weaker than the rest of them, but his skills in battle were improving. Emerald did find Plum's name very fitting; he was considered very soft, since he couldn't take many blows before giving up. And by some of the females, he was considered a little sweet, especially Skye._

_The only problem with Skye was that she and Lazto were known for a very unusual thing. They were hatched from the same egg, in other words, twins. Lazto was the one who came out first, so he was considered older, while Skye was considered the younger of the twins._

_While Lazto were mean and took every opportunity to threaten, or hurting Plum, Skye was more gentle and nice. She liked Plum very much, as she was the one who took most care of him._

'_Can you find me, Plum, I bet you can't!' she teased, having hid in the grassy field._

'_You just revealed your location!' he replied, leaping toward where he thought she was hiding, but she was nowhere to be found. 'What the, where-'_

'_A-ha!' came a voice from behind. It was Skye who had snuck up behind him. She pounced on him and pinned him to the ground easily._

'_Not good enough, Plum. You're not concentrating, how come?' she then asked. She stood up and let the downed Scyther stand up._

_Plum didn't say anything, he didn't even bother to sit up. Skye noticed this and sat down next to him._

'_It's Lazto, isn't it?' she inquired._

_Plum responded with a nod, his happy mood completely gone._

'_You shouldn't worry too much about him, he's like that, you know, preying on the weak. It'll take some time before he'll accept you.'_

_Plum just scoffed in reply, not trusting Skye. There was a pause before Sky spoke._

'_You're really cute, you know that?' She moved closer a little._

_Plum sat up immediately. 'Wha, what?' he stuttered, not sure if he had heard right._

_Skye moved her head closer to Plum's. 'I said,' she started softly, 'you're really cute.' She licked his cheek after that._

_Plum was completely dumbfounded, and moved away a little. Seeing the sad look in Skye's face, Plum spoke, 'Wow, really? I mean, you're as beautiful as your name.'_

'_The sky is cloudy, dummy,' she stated, looking a little offended._

'_Oh…' Plum looked up at the cloudy sky, and then down._

_Skye then laughed and prodded him lightly. 'That's why I like you! You're so nice, and clueless. It's so cute.' She moved closer and licked him again._

_Plum giggled a little, and asked her if he could lick her back. She nodded, and he licked her._

'_You know what? I'll get some berries, and you'll wait here. Okay?' she offered, getting to her feet._

'_Can't I come?' asked Plum, who got to his feet too._

_Skye shook her head. 'No, it'll be a sweet surprise, promise.'_

'_Ah,' said Plum in understanding, 'your secret berry place, right?' She nodded. 'Then I guess I'll wait here.'_

_Skye darted off and Plum waited._

_But it didn't take long before he heard some rustling sounds coming from a nearby bush. Thinking it was Skye planning a joke, he walked towards it._

'_Come out, Skye,' he said, waiting for a reply._

'_Not Skye, I'm afraid.' That voice didn't belong to Skye, it was darker. Before Plum knew it, another Scyther emerged from the bush, obviously not happy._

'_You,' said Plum, feeling very inferior to the Scyther._

_The Scyther dashed towards and pinned him against a tree, holding his scythe against Plum's neck._

'_Plum,' he started darkly, keeping a hateful stare into Plum's frightened eyes, 'flirting with my sister, aren't you?' Lazto swiped at Plum's neck, using the non sharp edge. Plum coughed at the impact._

'_You really got the nerve, huh? Thinking you're in the centre and all, huh?' he continued, snarling as he pushed his blade closer to Plum's neck._

_Plum tried to push Lazto's scythe from his neck, as it hindered his breathing. But the bigger Scyther was too strong._

'_Aw, try as much as you want, it won't be enough.' He flashed a menacing smile as he pushed the scythe higher up, forcing Plum to stand on his toes._

'_You really hate me, Plum, don't you?' Plum tried to nod, but it was hard to do so in the situation he was in. 'Good, because I hate your kind, you human serving weakling.' Lazto smacked Plum's cheek hard._

'_And you had the nerve to lick her too!' he then hissed, 'That comes at a price, Plum.' He raised the scythe he used to swat Plum with and positioned right under his eye. 'You've got five seconds to say that you'll stay away from her, or you'll find yourself missing an eye,' he threatened._

'_One,' he started slowly._

_Plum couldn't do anything, he didn't dare either._

'_Two.'_

_So, he'd be missing an eye, would it hurt?_

'_Three.'_

_He somehow had the feeling Lazto wouldn't be satisfied with just one cut._

'_Four.'_

_Well, here goes…_

'_LAZTO!'_

_Both Lazto and Plum looked to the direction from where the voice had come from. Plum's guardian angel had saved him from losing an eye._

'_Let go of him,' she slowly demanded._

_Lazto just looked at her and then let his gaze slide over to Plum. He narrowed his eyes and made a cut on Plum's cheek using his scythe. After that, he stepped away from him._

_Plum watched them talking to each other. What never ceased to amaze him was that Skye almost had total control over Lazto, as he didn't even raised one of his blades while they talked. After Skye was done with lecturing Lazto, she ordered him to leave. But before Lazto left, he passed Plum. He raised his blade and snarled, Plum yelped._

'_As I thought…' he muttered darkly._

'_Lazto, I'm warning you!' yelled Skye. Lazto glanced at her and took off flying. The buzzing sound faded away as the Scyther disappeared into the woods._

_Plum saw Skye walking towards him. 'Are you okay?'_

_He just nodded. Skye then offered him some berries, but somehow, Plum didn't find them as sweet as usual. _

-----

A thought struck Plum. If he did make it to Johto, would the swarm accept him? What if they didn't exist? What if they'd get angry if he entered their territory?

Another memory flashed. It was the day Lazto tried to force feed him a dead along with some northern Ilex Scythers. Failing to do so, they shoved him so fell onto the carcass. It was just right after he had washed the smell off the dead Rattata from him…

-----

_He ran._

_He had to hurry to the meeting site; Emerald has called for a meeting. And judging by the tone of the call, it sounded like an urgent one. He prayed that it wouldn't be about him._

_It didn't take long before he arrived, but he was still the last one who arrived._

'_You're late,' said Emerald solemnly._

'_M-my apologies, leader,' Plum replied._

_Emerald glanced at Plum, and then turned his attention to the rest of them. They were all in a half circle with Emerald at the other half._

'_Members of south eastern Ilex swarm,' he started, 'a human has been killed in this forest. And it is rumoured a Scyther did it. I-' He took a deep breath as he looked at the gathered Scythers and Scizors, -'am very certain that the ones of the northern Ilex are responsible. Ever since my, Opal's and Lazto's evolution, there had been quarrels in this swarm. And that caused the split up of the swarm. Now, Firzé, the current leader of the northern swarm, has influenced his minions to eat meat, as he claims that that is the way to strength.'_

_There was a pause as Emerald let the Scythers mumble to each other._

'_There is yet one more thing, my fellow Scythers,' he announced. All of them went quiet. Plum noticed how Emerald looked at him, which got him very nervous._

'_Plum, please come here,' he beckoned. Plum hesitated at first. 'Now,' the leader Scizor ordered impatiently. Plum walked up to Emerald and waited for what he was sure was going to happen._

'_I have also been told of, that Plum here has been accused of killing off and eating a Rattata.' He turned to Plum. 'Tell me, Plum, is that true?'_

_Plum shook his head._

'_Very well. Lazto, please come here,' Emerald then called, still looking into Plum's eyes. Since Emerald had evolved, he was much taller than Plum. But he had a significant difference from the other two Scizors, who were red; he was green, which was very strange._

'_Lazto, are you sure you saw Plum kill off that Rattata?'_

'_Of course, leader, even I can smell the blood from his face,' the Scizor replied._

_The green Scizor turned back to Plum and sniffed his face. When he was done, he closed his eyes and sighed. When Plum was about to back off, Emerald lifted one of his pincers._

'_Stand still, Plum, stand completely still.' Emerald stared into Plum's eyes in a way he had never seen before. It was pure rage. But, fortunately, Emerald never let the anger get the better of him, which was probably why he was the leader. Calm and collected._

_Plum stuttered at first, but then managed to speak, 'I can expl-'_

'_Silence, don't speak or move until I tell you to do so,' interjected Emerald darkly._

_Plum became petrified with fear, he had never seen Emerald like this._

_The leader then lowered his pincer, 'Plum.' He sighed again, as if to calm himself down. 'There is nothing I despise more than dishonesty, and here you are, being dishonest with me.'_

_Plum tried to protest, but after receiving a piercing stare from Emerald, he stayed silent._

'_Rules are to be followed, Plum. You broke them, as well as you violated the oath, and for that I have no other choice but to banish you from this swarm,' he informed. 'Do you understand?' he then asked._

_Plum nodded slowly, knowing that he could not do a thing to change Emerald's mind._

'_Then you may leave, outsider,' he finished, turning his back towards Plum._

_The last word had felt like being stabbed in the heart; that was the confirming evidence of that Emerald had wanted Plum out of the swarm._

_He turned away to walk, and the Scythers who stood in the half circle stepped out of his way, turning their heads away in disgust. He didn't look at them; he didn't want to see them looking away from him._

_Not even Skye looked at him._

_As he walked away from the others, he heard two pairs of advancing steps._

_Lazto was the first to speak. 'Well, well, well. You see, outsider, our leader has demanded us to escort you to the northern regions, so you better come with us nicely…'_

-----

They beat him up real bad that day, when they were at the border of the territories, they started punching him with their closed pincers, and then left him unconscious.

Plum noticed something within him. He was snuffling. If he was to return to that swarm, he had to prove himself, but how? Chances were that Emerald could have lost his leadership, as both Opal and Lazto were very ambitious. If either of those two had become the new leader, his freedom would mean nothing.

He tried reminiscing the moments when Skye and he was secretly meeting in the western part of Ilex. That was the time Skye revealed her secret berry place. Though, those moments lasted until Lazto found out.

That day, Skye really showed how much she cared for him. Lazto grabbed every opportunity to kill him, but failed. But after that, Skye and he never saw each other again, until…

The Battle of Ilex…

It was when the northern Ilex Scythers were losing. And Lazto had him.

-----

_Wherever Plum looked, Scythers were battling each other fiercely. It was a territorial battle, the one who won battle, won the territory._

_He got rammed powerfully from behind, due to being too unfocused. When he came to his senses, he saw Lazto leering down at him._

'_I got you now, you human serving filth! All your hopes to unite with my sister end here!' he sneered, picking Plum up with one of his pincers, holding him aloft. He poised his other pincer for the kill. 'AND YOUR MEANINGLESS EXISTENCE WITH THEM!' he bellowed._

'_NO!'_

_Just as Lazto was about to decapitate Plum, Skye intercepted the killing blow. The sudden attack caught Lazto off guard, and he got struck hard by Skye._

_Lazto had dropped Plum after the assault, and slowly got up to his feet._

'_Sister… why?' he hissed as he advanced towards the female Scyther who stood in the way. 'You love him that much?'_

_Plum looked up weakly, and saw her nod at that comment. He watched Lazto roar in rage as he ran up to Skye and swatted her with all his might. She yelped and fell to the ground, almost knocked unconscious._

_Lazto turned his back to Plum and faced the downed Skye with rage. 'How can you even like something like that filth, huh? How, HOW?' He kicked her twice. 'And you're stopping me from killing him, you betraying piece of…' He paused shortly, taking a deep breath. 'YOU'RE JUST LIKE HIM! WORTHLESS!' he screamed at the top of his lungs._

_Plum had had enough. He slowly got up, facing Lazto's back. He had an open shot. He pulled back his scythe, and aimed for Lazto's neck._

_Just as Plum swiped, Lazto turned around to look at his opponent. However, Lazto didn't know Plum had gotten up, so he had lowered his head to leer at him. The attack hit Lazto right in his right eye, and blood oozed out from it._

_Lazto screamed in pain, covering the spot Plum had stricken. Plum, on the other hand, started to get scared._

'_Plum, run away!' yelled Skye, also knowing that Lazto would turn furious any second and go after Plum. 'Run, Plum, RUUUN!' Plum looked at Skye at first, and then turned to run._

_But he didn't make it far; something clinched his leg, causing him to fall head over heals to the ground. When he looked over his shoulder to see what had grabbed him, he felt the dread being washed over his body._

_Lazto, his right eye seemed to have fallen out, and showed nothing but a blood red empty socket which blood still poured out of. _

'_You're dead, Plum, dead, DEAD!' he screamed furiously, clinching harder with his pincer. 'YOU'RE GONNA DIE!' As Lazto had dived towards Plum to catch him, he was now getting to his feet, still holding Plum's leg. Even the he could only see with one eye now, he chuckled darkly at the sight of Plum hanging upside down, awaiting his judgement._

_Plum's body suddenly became limp, he knew he couldn't get out of this one, but he couldn't stop looking at Lazto. He saw him reach out with his other pincer, nearing his throat. He instantly knew what was coming, Lazto was about to clip off his neck with his pincer. Lazto opened and closed his free pincer tauntingly, as if to tell Plum what he'd do._

_But Plum was lucky, again, a green blur knocked Lazto hard enough to let go of Plum._

_Plum was shocked when he saw who it was._

_Emerald?_

'_Lazto,' he started, 'Therok, Izu and Sapphira have fallen in battle, and I need you and Skye to the centre of the battlefield at once. It's completely unnecessary for you to fight one Scyther. ' Emerald then noticed Lazto's missing eye. 'By the great Lugia, your eye!'_

'_I'm okay, leader,' growled Lazto, still glaring at Plum, 'let me take care of the pest who did it!'_

_Emerald shook his head slowly. 'You are needed in the centre, you go there now. No questions asked!' he demanded sharply. Lazto mumbled something and took off with Skye following him right after._

_That was the last time Plum ever saw Skye._

_The green Scizor then turned to Plum. Surprised it was him, he just said, 'You?'_

_Plum slowly got up, not answering._

_Emerald looked at him in angry disbelief. 'Plum,' he whispered, 'what has become of you?' He got into battle stance._

_Plum wasted no time, and dashed away from Emerald. Emerald immediately gave chase._

_Plum had always known that no one was faster than Emerald before he evolved. But now, times had changed. Plum had the advantage of flying and speed. He fluttered his wings and flew away from his pursuer._

_Emerald stared at Plum and shook his head. After that, he dashed off to the centre of the battlefield._

-----

Plum sighed; many Scythers died that day… and he deserted them because he was a coward.

But, maybe fortunately, he had distracted one of the south eastern swarm's three most powerful fighters long enough to give the northern swarm a bigger chance, though he doesn't know why they gave up.

His swarm had, during the settlement, heard of what Plum did to Lazto, and were impressed. Though, that didn't last long. He barely survived the long trek to Kanto, which got him to think of things.

Making it from Kanto to Johto would be hard, as he didn't know where the small islands in between were located. And he couldn't fly all the way in one go, he would need some rest every now and then.

He then realized something horrifying. This was the wrong way. He had been walking towards the wrong city. He was supposed to be heading to the rock city, and then continue on through a cave. After that, he'd have to pass another city, and near the third city, would be the best place to take off over the ocean.

But now, he had been heading the opposite way; all his memories and ponderings had distracted him too much.

He looked back at the forest. He would never be able to pass it, so he'd have to take an enormous detour around it. Flying over it would never work, since the sun had raised enough for the sky to be blue. A Beedrill swarm could attack him if he neared their territory, and that would attract Firzé's swarm.

He started heading back, but as he did that, he knew something wasn't right. Someone was nearing him.

He wasn't mistaken. When he focused hard enough, he could hear a faint buzzing sound approaching to his direction. It couldn't be any Beedrill, as they usually didn't visit the areas outside the forest. Well, he weren't in any flowery regions so there'd be no risk why they'd come here.

But then, the buzzing suddenly stopped. Plum tried to focus more, and heard footsteps approaching. Not many kinds of Pokémon could emit a buzzing sound, and then walk after that. The only kind he knew which could do that was his own kind.

Scythers.

He had been followed, and he knew they weren't going to say goodbye to him. He felt that they were going to attack him. He knew he had to defend himself, as he didn't seem to have any other choice. He readied himself for the oncoming attack, even though he knew there'd be more than one of them. He closed his eyes, which seemed to help his sense of hearing.

The steps were closing in, as he could almost feel them coming. He heard them separate into two different locations, this stated him that there were two of them, and they were going to get him from two sides. He took a deep breath, he heard the one behind him approach a little faster, and a little more silent than before.

He still had his eyes closed; they wouldn't help much in these grassy plains as the Scythers were pretty much camouflaged by their colours. His eyelids started shaking, wanting him to open his eyes.

He suddenly felt much calmer, and yet more tense. He felt that he was ready to spring onto anything he felt moving in his reach. Was this his hunting instinct? He had never hunted for his entire life. It just was… pure instinct which was taking over his mind.

_Just a little more,_ it told him.

He heard the sneaking steps closing up.

_Soon, very soon._

Two more steps. Now, Plum felt his attacker was a scythe length behind him. The poor attacker must've been thinking Plum didn't know he was there.

_Not, yet. Wait until he strikes,_ the instinct reminded him.

Plum waited, his pursuer seemed to notice he knew he was there. The seconds turned into minutes and he was becoming nervous; if he made one wrong move, it'd be the last one in his life. He heard the one behind him inhale to speak.

'Petrified?'

Plum immediately identified the cocky voice. Sharp.

_Now!_

His eyes shot open as he turned around lightning fast and brandished his scythe. Sharp never expected that sudden attack from Plum, he didn't have any time to block the attack and was stricken across his upper body.

Plum then swiped again, not wanting to give Sharp any room for counterattack. His attacks came from different angles and his cuts landed where he wanted them to.

But Sharp recovered quickly and started blocking and parrying Plum's attacks with a growing ease. Soon he had his scythes locked against Plum's, and now he just had to use his strength to win. But he decided to kick Plum hard in the thin section between the upper body and the abdomen.

This caused Plum to double over, losing the struggle in the progress. He fell to the ground and remained in a sitting position. When he looked up, he looked right at a scythe pointing at him.

Sharp grinned victoriously, he was stronger after all. But he was impressed by Plum's performance, as the cuts he had received were only minor ones, except the first one which had made him bleed a little.

'Quite impressive,' Sharp mused, 'first time you made me bleed. Too bad it didn't last long enough for it to be fun.' He kept his stare at Plum, waiting for a reply.

Seeing as he didn't get one, he looked up from Plum. 'Vanilla, come here!' he called. 'Your attempt to distract him failed!'

Another Scyther emerged from her hiding spot somewhere on the field. Plum slowly turned to look at her, she looked back at him and shook her head slowly.

'Look at me,' hissed Sharp, looking at Plum again. Plum turned his attention towards Sharp instantly.

'But am I not free?' asked Plum quietly.

Sharp chuckled. 'Plum, Plum, Plum. You don't seem to understand, do you?' Plum shook his head carefully so he wouldn't cut himself on Sharp's scythe. 'Firzé made it very clear of that only one of you and the human would leave the forest alive, and seeing that you are to be killed, you probably know what has happened.'

Plum swallowed once before speaking. 'So… the human ran away, didn't he?' Sharp nodded, and prodded Plum's upper body.

'They are all the same, Plum, you honestly thought he'd fight Firzé? He fled with his tail between his legs.' He brought his scythe down hard, opening up a deep gash in Plum's abdomen. The stricken Scyther yelped, and tried to shuffle away from his enemy.

'Sharp,' Vanilla then said, 'speaking of humans, I think I smell someone in the vicinity.'

Sharp snapped his attention at her sternly. 'What?' He sniffed the air shortly. 'Curses, you're right. Stupid early birds, I hate them. Vanilla, you watch over Plum, while I handle the human. Don't kill him until I'm back!' With that, Sharp darted off to where the human was.

Vanilla calmly walked up to Plum, who didn't dare to move a muscle.

'Why did you do it, Plum?' she suddenly asked him. 'Why were you willing to give up your life for a human?'

Plum coughed up a little blood before answering. 'I never did it. I… I did fall asleep… and… before… I thought he reminded of my old trainer,' he first managed to choke out. 'He saved… saved my life, Vanilla, and he said he'd fight Firzé so I could leave. It's… a shame he ran.' A couple of more coughs made him throw up more blood.

'But why did you want to leave the swarm? You'd rather serve under a human's command?'

'No, I… I wanted to go back… to go back to Johto… and see Skye again.'

Vanilla sighed, and carefully stroked Plum's cheek. 'Plum, Emerald made it clear that he never wanted to see you again. You were never supposed to know this, but if you had known that there were absolutely no hopes for you to return to the Johto swarm, Firzé wouldn't be able to harass you.'

Wha, what?' Plum asked, dumbfounded. 'What do… you mean?'

'Firzé hates humans over everything else, maybe Rock Pokémon are an exception, and he always saw you as a human. I've heard him talking to himself in anger some nights, trust me. And I've waited to this day to tell you.'

Plum looked at Vanilla, shocked. 'But why… why didn't you…?'

'If Firzé would've known that you knew about this, he'd kill you in the slowest ay possible. Face it, you can't go back to Johto. Emerald has marked you for what you did to one of the Scizors. You'll be killed if you set your foot in their forest.'

Plum believed what Vanilla said, as she was known to be honest. She had never lied in his lifetime.

'Strange…' Plum mused, coughing again. 'It feels… like I'm ready for something… a funny feeling… like the end…'

'Sharp will be back soon after scaring of that human, he will make sure your death will be painful. Shall I?' she offered, positioning her scythe against his throat, ready to slit it.

'No, not yet. If you… ever see that human again, please… send him… my regards… from me. And give him this from me…' Plum mustered all his strength to sit up, and licked Vanilla's cheek.

She looked at him scornfully at first. 'And why do you think I'll _that_? You still like him even though he betrayed you?'

Plum shook his head, falling on his back. 'It was fun talking to him… if I never had met him, I would've probably… never learn the truth… about me not being ably to go back.'

Vanilla sighed and put her scythe at Plum's neck. Plum lifted his scythe in a signal for her to wait.

'Now what?' she asked irately.

'During the last two and a half moon laps in my life, I have been living for nothing other than to figure out how I would come back to Skye. Now, I have nothing to live for… I thank the human for making me believe the chance to come back to her. I also thank you, Vanilla, for putting an end to my misery.'

Plum drew a deep, long sigh. 'I failed you, Skye… good bye… forever…'

He closed his eyes slowly, awaiting the blade to slit his throat. Suddenly, his air supply seemed cut out, and it suddenly felt ten times harder to inhale at all. He felt a warm liquid in his mouth, and he thought it was that which was hindering his breathing. The pain in his abdomen seemed to fade away, as if it didn't exist.

One last memory flashed in his mind, the exact moment when he saw the berries in the strange pattern. It seemed he could finally discern them as two words.

'_Will, what did you mean with _"Adieu, Plum"_?'_ That was his last thought before everything went black.

-----

Back in Pewter, Bill came out of the store with a new set of clothes over his shoulder. He didn't bother to change now since he felt he'd need a shower before changing. But when he saw that Jonathan wasn't there, he got worried.

'_Man, where did he go? Maybe he headed down to the PokéCentre, good thing I know where that is. My stuff is there anyway so he'll probably have it.'_

He walked towards the centre, ignoring some of the stares he received from some people since he looked kind of dirty after being in that forest.

When he was in front the entrance, he could see both Jonathan and that girl, Pat. He prayed to himself that that Pikachu would keep his mouth shut. If that rat ratted on him, most of Jonathan's Pokémon would become hostile if they knew, especially that Ivysaur.

He swallowed once before approaching the main door, he couldn't stay in Pewter forever, sooner or later he'd be in trouble with the local police and he didn't want that.

He opened the door and awaited two greetings and possibly upcoming questions that would be hard to answer.

_**To be continued…**_

-----

Translation

Adieu – Goodbye (French). Used when you say goodbye for possibly the last time to someone.

-----

A/N

My fellow readers (who made it this far), at last I have managed to update with a filler chapter which mostly concerned Plum's past. And instead of me blaming school and other things for my recent inactivity, let me be brutally honest.

I've been lazy.

Especially when summer has come, I'm almost always outside. But in the evenings, when I've had the time to write, I just haven't been feeling for it. I'm very sorry, but maybe it's hard sometimes to start writing. Next week I won't be ale to write, honest, I'm going to summer school for ten days.

But I hope you liked this chapter, bye for now!


	20. Entering Mt Moon

_**Chapter 19**_

Well, I apologize for the gap between the updates, but that's mostly due to lack if inspiration.

-----

"It called for help" – Jonathan Huntley

"**_Entering Mt Moon"_**

Bill was met with multiple stares from people when he entered the PokéCentre. He felt uncomfortable at first, but tried to concentrate on what he was going to say to Jonathan and Pat.

"Hiya, Bill!" Jonathan greeted, as if nothing had happened. Bill just nodded back at him, and looked at Pat.

"What the heck happened to you?" she asked, sounding more shocked.

"It's a long story," said Bill hastily. He turned to Jonathan, "Jon, you know where my stuff is?"

"Hey, first things first, Bill," replied Jonathan, looking more sternly. "Since when did you know Pat?"

'_An easy question,'_ thought Bill. "Same day I met you. Now, where is my stuff?" he repeated.

Jonathan sighed, but seemed to accept the answer. "It's in my room; it's the first room to the left around the corner. And the door's not locked."

Bill nodded, hoping that Jonathan would understand his quietness due to what 'happened' last night. Pat, however, wasn't pleased with that.

"Hey, don't you walk away!" she snapped. "What did you do last night? Did you go to-"

"No! I didn't go back to that stupid forest! Not after I've been attacked twice there! Do I look insane?" Bill half shouted at her. "Now if you'll excuse me," he then mumbled, heading towards the corridor.

He mentally patted himself on his back for having evaded the conversation. But he then saw a small, red-white pokéball being thrown in front of him. At the instant it landed on the floor, it opened up, revealing something big and orange that almost scared the living daylights out of him.

What Bill saw was an orange dragon-like creature with wings. At the end of its tail it had a flame that was constantly burning from it. The inner side of the wings was probably the only part of its whole body that wasn't orange (except for its belly and underside of the tail, which had a more pale-yellow colour), they were more dark turquoise. It loomed over him threateningly.

"Charizard, keep him there until I'm done with the questions," Pat demanded.

Bill felt petrified upon staring at the dragon. In his whole life, he had always imagined that it'd be cool to see a dragon. But now that he did, he was scared.

"Heh, n-nice dragon," he stammered, trying to say anything at all. To his surprise, the Charizard revealed a faint smile and bowed, as if accepting a compliment. However, it still obliged to its trainer, Pat.

"Flattery won't work against him, Bill," noted Pat.

"Hey, Pat, maybe you should-"

"Shut up, Jon," she snapped, "neither you nor I know who he really is! He could be working for Team Rocket or something."

However, to Bill's luck, a nurse came out from an office room. "Excuse me miss, but you aren't allowed to let out your Pokémon inside this centre. Please call him back," she softly demanded.

Pat hesitated at first, but then recalled her Charizard.

Bill let out a sigh of relief and was about to got to Jonathan's room to take a shower.

"Oh, it's you," the nurse then said, recognizing him.

"Look, nurse, can I get cleaned up first?" he requested. She nodded.

"He can use the shower in my room, if that's okay," Jonathan added.

Bill walked to the room Jonathan had been sleeping in. It was empty, of course, there were only two backpacks. He takes off his clothes and heads into the shower.

He feels relaxed when he lets the lukewarm water run over him. He really did need a shower after all those days.

After the shower, he quickly got dressed in his new clothes which consisted of his new pair of blue jeans and a pastel green shirt. He had an extra dark sweater which he put in his back pack along with his dirty clothes. He assumed that he'd get to wash them in a laundry in the next town.

He had bought a new cap, a black one, and placed it on his head backwards. It covered most of his neck long hair, as it should be, and it at least held it back.

He walked out with his and Jonathan's stuff to the main hall.

"You sure took your time," muttered Pat.

"Oh, you're back," the nurse said. "Could you please come with me to the office?" she asked.

Bill nodded, and left his and Jonathan's stuff near the two. He followed the nurse into the office she had come out from.

"Well," she started, closing the door. "It seems that there was nothing special with your blood type."

Bill sighed lightly in relief.

"But," she suddenly said. "It is however similar to a blood type we were seeking."

"Hey, come on. Do you honestly think I'm a part Pokémon? That is preposterous!" he objected.

"It doesn't prove anything, young man," said the nurse. "You may go now. I apologize for the test, as I was a little suspicious. But who knows? Maybe you possess a gene that accepts the potions more than usual."

"Maybe," replied Bill as he left the office. He hoped that she would get over the fact that his body had healed quickly that day. He didn't want to be exposed this early, and he had yet to deal with Jonathan and Pat.

When he entered the main hall, he noticed that Pat wasn't there. She must've probably gone outside.

"What was that all about?" asked Jonathan, curious about what Bill were doing in there.

"Nothing special, she was just curious about my blood type, that's all," replied Bill. He wore the backpack, "So, will we be leaving now, or?" he asked.

"No, I think we should restock on supplies first, and then we should be off," Jonathan clearly stated.

They both walked out of the centre and headed for a food shop. But they didn't proceed far. It felt like a short repetition for Bill, as the Charizard he encountered before appeared right in front him again. Bill jumped back in surprise, and stared with fear at the dragon.

"Still afraid of my Charizard, hmm?" Pat inquired as she stepped out from the corner she was hiding behind.

Bill didn't reply, even if he had met that dragon before, he still feared him. The dragon smirked, showing his fangs which could make short work of Bill if he made a wrong move. He spread out his wings, probably to look bigger than he was, to scare Bill even further, and snarled lightly.

Jonathan carefully walked up to him and tried to help him stand up, but Charizard roared at him in sign of staying away.

"Pat, knock it off!" yelled Jonathan, "let me at least help him up!"

"Look, Jon, it'll be much easier to get information out of him!" she snapped.

Bill couldn't take his attention away from the dragon. This time, however, he had enough common sense not to call it anything stupid, he learned that from encountering Scythers. He tried the nicer way this time. After all, this dragon was at least tame.

"Look here, Charizard," he started weakly, only to receive a growl from the dragon. He was certain that Charizard could use fire attacks, which was pretty obvious since it was a tradition of most dragons to be able to breathe fire. Today was not a day suited for him being scorched.

"Okay, Bill," started Pat, "I'm asking the questions, and every time you don't answer will result you getting a scratch from Charizard here. Is that clear?" she asked menacingly.

"Pat, seriously!" Jonathan finally yelled. "He has a fricking amnesia! He must have been hallucinating or something. Just lay it off!" He shoved her hard enough for her to fall down.

Charizard promptly glared at Jonathan and flew over to him, staring him down. Jonathan backed away, knowing what a Charizard could do.

Bill used the opportunity to get up on his feet and throw off his backpack. The dragon turned back to him, giving him a stare that already sent chills down his spine. What he really didn't want to happen was getting his new clothes ruined first day he wore them. Especially not his new cap, as e had been without one since he came to this world.

Pat got to her feet, glaring at Jonathan.

"What the heck was that about? You know very well that my Pokémon are much stronger than yours, so back off!" she half shouted at him.

Bill tried slowly backing away, but Charizard noticed it and advanced.

"Where were we now," Pat then said to Bill, "anyway, where do you live?"

"Well, I don't know," answered Bill.

"Pat," Jonathan whined, "shouldn't you go to the gym, or something, let me talk with him. He has amnesia."

Pat looked at him, and then at Bill. She sighed and picked up her pokéball, calling her Charizard back.

"I'll be back, Bill, as soon as I'm done with that gym." With that, she left for the Pewter gym.

Bill let out a long sigh of relief.

"Whew, what a scare," he mumbled. He saw Jonathan walking up to him.

"Let's just go to the shop so we can stack up, we'll be going through Mt Moon," he simply said as he headed towards the shop.

Bill hastened his pace so he could catch up to his friend. He didn't have anything to complain about, so he just followed. Though he did appreciate Jonathan's efforts to convince Pat, why was she so suspicious anyway?

"Hey, Bill," Jonathan then said lowly. "You shouldn't let her Charizard scare you that easily."

"It was the first time I've ever seen a dragon Pokémon! He was almost more horrifying than the Scythers!" he objected. He recalled those wickedly sharp claws Charizard had on his hands.

Jonathan stopped, looking at Bill as if he was completely stupid.

"Bill, you really don't know anything about Pokémon, do you?" he first asked. Bill rolled his eyes.

"I told you that already, genius."

"Charizard isn't a dragon Pokémon, did you ever wonder why he smiled at you inside the PokéCentre. He took it as a compliment!" Jonathan explained.

"Ooh," replied Bill in understanding.

"You should be careful mentioning the word dragon to a Charizard, as some would take it as a grave insult. You're lucky that Pat's Charizard is as meek as a Mareep," warned Jonathan, having stopped walking.

Bill stood there, not understanding anything. "Uhh, yeah… I guess," he said a little awkwardly.

"Good, I hope you learned something then!" Jonathan replied, resuming to his walking again.

-----

They had finished buying supplies, and had packed them into their backpacks.

"Say goodbye to Pewter, Bill, we won't see it until we're going back to Viridian!" exclaimed Jonathan happily.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, _'the sooner I get away from Pat, the better.' _

Luckily, they didn't encounter any police officers of sorts, in case they had gotten to know about Bill "sleeping" outside during the night.

When they exited Pewter via the north exit, they were walking on the rocky road which led to Mt Moon. Bill didn't know what kind of obstacles one could find in there, so he asked Jonathan.

"Hey, Jon, how is Mt Moon? Have you been there before?"

"Nope," Jonathan replied, "But it won't be a problem. The road is pretty well laid out."

"I hope there's no climbing involved," hoped Bill.

Jonathan stopped, looking at Bill oddly again. "Climbing?" he blurted out. "I said we were going _through_ Mt Moon, not over it!"

"So we're going to end up lost in cave systems instead of breaking out bones?"

"As I said, Bill, the route is well lit. There's nothing to worry about!" Jonathan ensured. They both resumed walking.

This time, walking was more tedious. Every now and then one of the two got a stone in their shoe. Jonathan had let out Pidgey so he could fly freely for a while; this was mostly because he was less likely to use him inside Mt Moon due to his weakness against Rock Pokémon.

Jonathan had also let Ivysaur out, but recalled him after Bill had cracked one too many rock puns. He wondered why Ivysaur didn't like Bill; did his Grass Pokémon sense something about him?

-----

When they arrived to the entrance of Mt Moon, Bill threw off his backpack and sat down it. Jonathan looked at him and put down his backpack.

"A trainer's journey sure is tough," Bill stated. His shoulders were aching after the long walk.

"Yeah," replied Jonathan, stretching his back, "but you always get a nice kick out of it, you know, battles and such." He then let out the rest of his Pokémon so they could get some fresh air.

Ivysaur promptly walked away from Bill, taking Metapod with him. Those two had already formed a friendship, but it would mostly be thanks to Metapod's performance against that Scyther when he was a Caterpie. They also had another thing in common, they were both evolved.

Bill noticed that Rattata was sneaking in his pockets again.

'_Sneaky rat,'_ he thought playfully, grabbing the purple rat. Rattata didn't seem fond to this and lightly bit Bill's finger. He yelped and let go of her. Luckily, she hadn't bitten hard enough for it to bleed. Pidgey was sitting on the ground resting, and Growlithe was sniffing around just like the ordinary dog.

"Hey, Pidgey," Jonathan said to his Pokémon, "you wanna rest after all the flying?" Pidgey nodded, and Jonathan called the bird back in his pokéball. He figured this would be best for his bird Pokémon, as he assumed the bird wouldn't like being inside a cave anyway.

It was rather quiet outside the opening, but Bill was certain that there was a lot of wild Pokémon inside Mt Moon. He looked up at the sky. It was completely free from clouds, and it matched the colour of Jonathan's t-shirt.

Bill noticed Rattata approaching again. He kept in mind not to grab her again so he wouldn't be bitten. The purple rat suddenly dashed around him and climbed up his back. It tickled at first when the rat's claws lightly dug into his skin, but it soon started to hurt.

"Jon, your Rattata is, ow, climbing up my back!" he whined.

Jonathan looked at Bill to see his Rattata balancing on Bill's shoulder. He smiled at the sight when Rattata sniffed Bill's face curiously.

"Don't worry, that's the way she is. It's a sign of that she likes you," ensured Jonathan.

Bill tried to be patient as the rat climbed around on him, but when she rooted inside his left inner pocket, she stole his stop watch.

"Hey!" he shouted after her. Rattata quickly hid behind Jonathan with the watch in her mouth. The blonde teenager took the watch and looked at it.

"That's a cool watch you had there, Bill. Where did you get it?" he asked.

Bill hesitated at first. "Well, uh, my name is engraved on its back, and it was one of the first things I saw when my, eh, memory kinda blacked out."

"So you think your name is Bill just because it says that on the watch?" inquired Jonathan, looking at Bill suspiciously.

"Well, I have this feeling that that watch is important to me," he started. He couldn't just say that he had gotten it from his dad, as Jonathan would ask a resulting question about his dad and how he could remember him.

"It looks pretty old," Jonathan mused. He examined the button which was used to stop time, "What does this button do?"

"Hey, don't fiddle around with it!" Bill snapped when he realized that Jonathan was about to push the button. "Give it back, now!"

Jonathan looked at Bill for a while, and tossed the watch to Bill. Bill quickly pocketed the watch in his inner pocket.

"You really like that watch, don't you? Does it have anything to do with the past?" Jonathan carefully asked.

"Yeah," muttered Bill, "I just don't want to lose it. It's important to me." He turned his back to his friend, looking at the ground.

Bill heard Growlithe whining behind him, as if pitying him. He nudged Bill's arm a little. Bill looked at him, and petted him a little. The orange dog wagged his tail, pleased that he managed to cheer Bill up.

He then looked at Jonathan. He had already gotten up, and had brushed the dirt off him.

"Hey, Bill," he called, "shall we enter Mt Moon right away?"

Bill looked at him reluctantly. "Man, just five more minutes?" he asked.

"The sooner we get in, the soon we get out. Though I fear that we'll have to sleep one night in there," he stated.

"One night, you say?" Bill started, pondering a bit. "What kinds of Pokémon are inside by the way?"

Jonathan thought shortly before answering. "Mostly Zubat, Geodude and Paras, I believe, nothing to worry about. Ivysaur and Growlithe will have a lot to do though."

Bill thought of the first mentioned, bats. He didn't particularly like bats, but he hoped they wouldn't bother him too much. He sighed and got to his feet, stretching his arms and felt dizzy due to blood rush.

"Just let me make a pit stop behind that rock, and we're off," he asked, heading to the larger boulder not far from where he was. When he was behind it, he opened up his fly and let loose of the pressure in his bladder. A small puddle of yellow fluid was on the rocky ground. He closed his fly and walked back to Jonathan, lifting his backpack up and wearing it.

"Ready yet?" asked Jonathan, having returned his Pokémon into their pokéballs. Bill nodded.

They walked inside the cave. It wasn't as Bill had expected, it wasn't any hassle on the path and it was lighted up pretty well. They didn't encounter any wild Pokémon at first, but when they came to another opening, which was darker, Jonathans stopped.

"Hey, Bill," he started, looking at his friend slyly, "how about going into that cave? I'm longing for some action." He was referring to wild Pokémon battles, and as he hadn't encountered any wild Pokémon, he though that it'd be good to let his own Pokémon train a little.

"I don't really know," said Bill reluctantly, "I don't want to get lost."

"Come on, don't be a wuss! It'll be fun!" Jonathan ensured. "Growlithe can always sniff out the way back." That was enough for Bill to agree to Jonathan's proposal of taking an alternative route, but he was still insecure.

"And by the way," Jonathan added, "there's no warning sign or something, so it should be safe."

Bill shrugged and followed his friend into the darker parts of the dungeon. This part wasn't lighted up and it was hard to see things in front of them. Bill stopped and picked up his flashlight, turning it on. That turned out to be a bad idea, as it attracted too much attention to wild Pokémon, and an orange, crablike creature with two small mushrooms on its back leaped towards the two, surprising them.

"A Paras," Jonathan calmly stated, bringing out Growlithe's pokéball. He tossed it to the ground and the orange dog appeared.

The mushroom Pokémon glared at the dog with its round eyes, and clicked its sideway teeth. It released some brown spores. Jonathan immediately recognized them as Stun Spores and ordered Growlithe to do an Ember attack.

The dog quickly inhaled and spat out a flaming ball of fire towards the Paras. Not only did the flaming ball burn up the spores, it hit the opposing Pokémon as well. Paras was knocked back, and seeing that it wouldn't have any chances defeating its opponent, it ran away as quick as it could.

Bill lifted his cap in a victory pose. "Yay, victory!" he shouted gloatingly. He then put the cap on his head again.

Growlithe looked at Bill oddly, but then turned his attention to his trainer, Jonathan. The blonde trainer praised his dog Pokémon for the victory, and called him back.

"Next time, Bill, try to be more careful with that flashlight," he told Bill a little accusingly. Bill shrugged, and toned down the light on his flashlight a little. They resumed walking in the darker part of the cave, but they didn't proceed far.

They met up with three more Paras, seeing the fourth injured some steps behind the group.

"It called for help," Jonathan stated, bringing out Growlithe again. "Stay close, they can release spores that makes you fall asleep, or paralysis, if you inhale them," he warned Bill. Two of the three Paras approached the Growlithe. One leaped towards the dog, attempting to scratch him with its claw. Growlithe dodged instinctively.

"Growlithe, burn them with your Ember, quickly!" Jonathan ordered. "And watch out for their Stun Spores!" he added.

Growlithe spat out a ball of fire, which knocked the Paras closest to him down, but it wasn't defeated. Another one then quickly approached and shot out some brown spores. Bill recognized them as the Stun Spores. Due to the attack being so sudden, Growlithe couldn't jump away. He inhaled the spores and coughed violently, some random flames were spat out in between of the coughs.

"This is bad, isn't it?" Bill asked, backing away from the Paras.

"No, it's not!" Jonathan snapped, "He didn't get too affected by it. Growlithe, try another Ember!" he then ordered. Growlithe tried to pull himself together and spat out another fireball. It hit the wounded Paras and knocked it out. The Paras who had used the Stun Spores repeated its attack, sending out another cloud of brown spores.

Before Jonathan suggested another attack, Growlithe pounced at the Paras, ignoring the paralysis affecting spores. He landed hard on the parasitic bug and used a Bite attack on it. It yelped and staggered back. But the orange dog had been too much affected by the spores, so Jonathan returned him into his pokéball.

Jonathan brought up the pokéball containing Rattata, and let her out. The purple rat sniffed the ground curiously before realizing she was in a battle. Bill found that strange, that Rattata really was curious to the end.

"Rattata, snap out of it!" Jonathan ordered. Rattata jumped in surprise and spotted the injured Paras moving towards her. She took a defensive stance, waiting for her trainer's order.

"Flame Wheel!" Jonathan just called out. Rattata concentrated briefly as a ring of fire surrounded her body. She then arched forwards, letting the flaming wheel rolling towards the bug. The Paras had no time to dodge and got scorched by the fire attack. It staggered backwards a bit, and then fell down, defeated. The Paras which was injured earlier had already taken off, seeing that it wouldn't have a chance anyway.

Jonathan congratulated Rattata briefly, and then hastily brought out Growlithe from his pokéball. The orange dog was in a worse condition now, panting heavily and unsteadily. He was also trembling due to the effects of the spores.

"Will he be alright? He looks shaken," said Bill, cracking a pun. Jonathan glared at him.

"This is no time for jokes!" he snapped, but then calmed down. "He'll be alright, I got some vials of paralyze heals for that." He searched his backpack and pulled out a vial containing some purple fluid. He petted Growlithe to calm him down, as he whined constantly. Bill kneeled down next to Growlithe, and asked Jonathan if it was okay to pet the dog. The blonde teen nodded and Bill petted the dog.

"Here, Growlithe, this'll do you well," Jonathan cooed as he sprayed the fluid all over the dog. After emptying the vial, he put it back in the backpack. "You get a little discount if you bring back the vial, in case you wondered," he said to Bill.

Growlithe started to calm down a little, but it would still take some time for him to fully recover.

"Wait a minute," Bill suddenly exclaimed, "there were three healthy Paras, and you beat up two, where's the third?"

Jonathan looked at him instantly upon saying that, and jumped to his feet. He looked frantically around himself but didn't found the missing Paras.

"It probably made a run for it," he guessed, calming down.

Bill watched Rattata approach Growlithe to examine him. She squeaked lowly and snuggled in the dog's orange fur. Growlithe groaned a little, but then sighed.

But when Bill got to his feet, he heard a low, hissing screech behind him. He quickly turned around to see the missing Paras who had snuck up to him from behind. The bug released some of its spores instantly, and even though Bill tried backing away, he inhaled some of the spores.

"Bill!" Jonathan shouted at his friend. "Rattata, get it!"

Rattata leapt in front of Bill, as if guarding him, and stared the Paras down. She bared her fangs and attacked by leaping on top of the orange bug. She then bit the bug on its back, utilizing her Hyper Fang attack. The bug screeched and shook Rattata off, and then ran off quickly.

Jonathan ran up to Bill. "Are you okay, were those stun spores?" he asked nervously.

Bill shook his head drowsily, staggering towards the closest wall. He leaned on it with his hand.

"I… don't really… know," he replied tiredly.

"Oh man," Jonathan muttered, "blasted spores. It will only be a matter of time before you will fall asleep." Soon after that, Bill fell down on the floor, sleeping heavily. Jonathan tried to wake him up by shaking him, but it didn't work.

"What I wouldn't give for some Preston salt or some Awakenings right now. Stupid me forgetting to purchase some in Pewter…" he muttered. "I could use a rest anyway." He brought out Ivysaur and Metapod, and let Pidgey be inside his pokéball. Ivysaur waddled up to the sleeping Bill and examined him. When he realized he was sleeping, he let out a snicker.

"Hey, Ivysaur, do you think you can whip him to life?" asked Jonathan. Ivysaur glanced at him, and then sneered at Bill. The grass Pokémon shook his head and waddled over to Metapod. Jonathan muttered something and walked back to check Growlithe's condition. He was getting better already, but still preferred to lie down.

Jonathan looked at Bill; he was still sleeping deeply. He'd be stuck here for a while until Bill woke up, and that would take some time.

Jonathan shrugged; he'd need a rest himself anyway so he sat down and leaned against the rocky wall. He reached for Bill's flashlight and turned it off, so it'd be easier to take a nap. He slowly felt drowsier by every minute and was soon asleep. Most of his other Pokémon looked at him and did the same.

-----

_He was trapped in the middle of a tunnel. There were two openings, which were the only ones. The tunnel seemed to get wider to one direction, and tighter to the other. He could get out of both sides if it weren't for one simple thing._

_Two different species of Pokémon wanted him dead. The first species were a group that guarded the tighter end of the tunnel, and at the other end, a bigger Pokémon waited for him to get closer to it._

_The group didn't want the bigger Pokémon to get Bill, and vice versa, but both of them were close enough to snatch him anyway._

_What prevented them to do so, was the fact that if one of them made their move, the others would as well. It all depended of what kind of fate Bill desired, the slow but, strange enough, most painless one, or the fast and painful one._

_Bill glanced at the group. Bloodsucking bastards, while they offered the painless death, it would be long. One of them crawled towards him carefully, looking at him hungrily._

_Bill quickly looked at the other side. He saw the bigger Pokémon ripping of some rocks with its talons in order to get into the tunnel. That Pokémon was after him for revenge, he had done something to it, something very grave to it, but he couldn't remember what._

_He curled into a ball, sobbing softly. This was it; no escape. Both of his enemies waited patiently for his decision. He would never be able to wait them out; they had lived here for a long time, and were very eager to eat him._

_He heard footsteps approaching fast, followed up with a loud screech._

-----

A pain shot through Bill's chest as his eyes flew open. He jumped to his feet and dived at Jonathan, the closest to him, and tackled him to the ground. He then grabbed his throat and squeezed as hard as he could.

Jonathan tried to pry off Bill's hands, but as Bill had attacked so suddenly, he had been caught off guard.

A green vine wrapped around Bill's neck, and pulled him away. He saw Ivysaur, who holding Bill's neck with his vines, glaring at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Bill?" Jonathan half shouted, coughing in between.

Bill calmed down, breathing heavily. Fortunately, Ivysaur hadn't kept a tight grip around his neck.

Jonathan walked up to Bill carefully. "Ivysaur, let him go," he told his Pokémon. "You ok?" he asked Bill.

Bill slowly and dizzily got to his feet. "Yeah, I'm sorry," he first apologized. "I had this dream, and just as I was about to die in the dream, something hit me, making me wake up," he mumbled.

"Ivysaur used his vines to whip some life in you," Jonathan told him, grinning a little. Bill looked at the grass Pokémon accusingly. Ivysaur waved with his vine and grinned mischievously.

Bill sent a scowl to him and then looked at his friend. "For how long have I been out cold?" he asked, feeling drowsy again.

Jonathan thought for a moment before answering, "I took a nap myself, so I'm not really sure, but I'd guess three or four hours."

"Jeez, I still feel a little woozy…" muttered Bill, placing a hand on his forehead. "Damn Paras."

"It'll wear off eventually. You didn't inhale too much of the spores, so you should be okay," ensured Jonathan. He picked up his backpack and handed Bill's flashlight to him. "Shall we continue, or do you need some more time? It's getting late."

Bill took the flashlight, activating it while pointing it downwards. He then wore his backpack on his back, straightening himself up a little.

"Yeah, I just want to get out of this damn cave and away from those damned bugs with mushrooms on their back. Let's just head back to the route we were on before," he suggested, returning his Pokémon.

"Guess you're right, the scenic route cost us some time. But, hey, no one was hurt."

As they were about to backtrack the way they came from, they heard a light chant coming from the path they originally were going to take.

"Clefairy!"

Bill reacted quickly and aimed his flashlight to where the sound had come from. He spotted a small, pink creature. It resembled a strange round, humanoid fairy, and the only part of its body that wasn't pink was the tip of its ears, which were brown. It was one of the oddest things Bill had seen, but when he thought about it, he'd probably see odder things.

Jonathan, however, burst out with excitement.

"Wow, a Clefairy!" he exclaimed. The pink Pokémon didn't like being exposed, and decided to make a run for it. Jonathan tried throwing a pokéball at it, but he missed. "Let's get it, Bill, you have no idea how rare they are!" he yelled at Bill, running after the Pokémon.

"But," complained Bill, but Jonathan had already taken off into the depth of the cave. He didn't want to be left alone in a cave where wild Pokémon possibly lurked, so he took off after his friend.

He didn't like running in a cave he never had been inside before; there could be a hole or cliff anywhere. He kept looking at the ground so he wouldn't trip over something, twisting his ankle.

After a tedious running, which was tiring him due to the backpack, he caught up with Jonathan, who had stopped running. He saw him looking at various tunnel entrances, flashing his flashlight. He had toned down the light a little so he wouldn't startle any wild Pokémon.

"I lost it, blast!" Jonathan cursed, looking at Bill.

Bill regained his breath before answering, "That wasn't the only thing you lost! How the heck are we supposed to find the way back?"

Jonathan smirked and let out Growlithe. "He'll fix it, he'll just sniff the path we've been running," he assured Bill, telling his Pokémon to lead the way back.

They both followed the orange dog, which sniffed the ground to detect the movements of Bill and Jonathan's way from where they started running. Bill hoped to get back to the regular path; being lost in a cave was something he only thought could happen in his wildest fantasies.

Suddenly, Growlithe stopped. He had caught a scent of something more interesting. Curious, he followed the scent. Bill and Jonathan thought he was leading them back to the ordinary path, but how wrong they were.

Growlithe arrived at a little hole he found. He started digging in it to see what he could reveal.

A blue bat shot out from the hole and soared angrily over Growlithe. It didn't seem to have any eyes, but like most bats, they navigated using ultrasonic waves. On the underside of its wings it was purple, and it didn't seem to have any legs. The Zubat suddenly dived at the dog and bit hard on his nose. The dog yelped and tried to shake it off.

The Zubat let go and darted away into the darkness, hoping to find some peace from intruders.

Growlithe's muzzle, however, was bleeding. Now he couldn't use it to sniff without hurting. He was breathing with his mouth open and whined.

"No!" Jonathan shouted, "Why must this happen now?"

"What's wrong? He'll be okay?" said Bill.

"Bill, he is our only chance of getting out of here, he can't sniff out the right path."

Bill took a deep breath. "So you're saying that…" he paused, trying his best not to panic. "That we're hopelessly lost in this cave, right?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Great," was all Bill could say before he felt teary in his eyes. _'Bloody bats,'_ he thought.

"It's nothing serious," Jonathan started, getting a look from Bill that would kill, "for Growlithe, that is. He'll be alright by tomorrow. We should get some sleep anyway. The effects from the spores is probably still inside you, so you shouldn't have any trouble falling asleep," he then suggested.

Bill muttered profanities in his natural language while he packed up his sleeping bag. He tried positioning it so he wouldn't wake up with aches from rocks he would've been lying on. Jonathan let out his Pokémon, including Pidgey. The bird didn't seem fond of being let out inside the cave, but when Jonathan said that they would just sleep, the bird didn't comply.

As soon as Bill lay down on the ground, he started feeling tired. Those spores really did last for a while. He heard Jonathan asking Ivysaur if he could use some of those sleep powder to hep him fall asleep. Ivysaur quickly took care of that.

Before he fell asleep, he tried ensuring himself that it would end up well. He'd get out, sooner or later at least. His eyes slowly closed as he fell asleep.

_**To be continued…**_

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Hmm, a little awkward end of a chapter, but things will probably heat up in the next. Until then, I hope you liked this chapter to an extent, even though it was a little boring…


	21. Unexpected Meetings

_**Chapter 20**_

This time, the chapters will be shorter, I really hope that. For the avid readers' interest I've put a FAQ at my forum. You can find my forum at my profile page.

"You did that on purpose, weed-head" – Bill Anderson

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"**Unexpected Meetings"**

Bill groaned a little as he stretched his arms. He didn't feel like he usually did when he slept, the ground was rock hard and his body ached. He sat up, looking around himself. Jonathan was still sleeping, as were his Pokémon, and it was pretty dark around him. He picked up his watch from his pocket; it showed twenty minutes past ten. He didn't know if it was pm or am since he couldn't see any daylight, but he guessed it was in the morning.

He then lied down at the ground again, hitting his head at the rock hard surface. He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. He crawled out if his sleeping bag and got to his feet. He picked up a flashlight that was lying on the rocky ground and turned it on. He heard Growlithe groan as he woke up by the light.

"Oh, heh, sorry," Bill apologised to the dog as he aimed the light towards the path. He walked to the dog and sat down by him. Growlithe looked at him curiously. Bill saw that his muzzle was still injured, and wouldn't be able to sniff the way out.

Bill carefully petted the dog, who seemed to like it, and smiled.

"You silly dog," he kindly said, Growlithe murmured a bit, or so it seemed, "why did you have to provoke those bats?" Growlithe whined a little at first, but then wanted to get up. Bill stopped petting and watched the Pokémon walk up to his trainer. He nudged the sleeping trainer lightly to wake him up.

Jonathan groaned at first, and then yawned, stretching his arms.

"Man, what a night," he said to himself. He noticed that Bill was awake. "Hey, finally awake, eh?"

"Yeah," replied Bill. He grabbed a sandwich which was packed in his backpack and began eating it. He only had two left, so he'd have to get out of this cave as soon as possible.

"Something bugging you?" asked Jonathan as if nothing was wrong.

"Nothing really, just the fact that we might end up dead in here just because _someone_ had to chase some cleffed fairy or whatever it's called, no I'm fine," was the sarcastic reply from Bill.

"Take it easy, Bill," said, Jonathan, still as calm, "it'll work out. Things always work out in the end, trust me," he ensured.

All of Jonathan's Pokémon had woken up, and Pidgey had been returned into his pokéball by request. Ivysaur had approached Growlithe to check his condition, but not after he had forced Bill to back away first.

"Gee," Bill mused, "Jon, your Ivysaur's hostility towards me is getting too far," he said to Jonathan.

"Don't worry, he's like that. He'll go easier with you as time passes."

"Well, I can imagine that life's harsh when you have a flower stuck on your back," Bill spat. Soon after he said that, he was hit by the Pokémon's vines across the cheek. Bill fell down, clutching his sore cheek.

"Making fun of him won't help…" muttered Jonathan, packing his things.

-----

After they were done packing, Bill asked, "Now what?"

"Well, we should walk that way and hope it's the right one," Jonathan suggested, returning his Pokémon.

"And if it isn't?" inquired Bill.

Jonathan sighed in frustration. "Stop being so negative, sooner or later we'll get out of here."

"I hope that happens before our food supplies run out," muttered Bill. Jonathan ignored that and started to walk.

Bill took his flashlight and flashed ahead of the path Jonathan was walking on. Bored by the monotonous walking, he kicked a small rock, sending it flying past his friend, who immediately stopped dead.

"One more thing, Bill, don't do that. If one of the rocks you kick happens to be a Geodude, you'll be in trouble," he warned.

"What dude?" Bill asked, confused.

"I battled one at the gym, remember?" he reminded.

Bill recalled the battle; Jonathan's Rattata had battled a round rock thing with arms.

"Oh yeah," he mused, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good," said Jonathan and resumed walking.

There wasn't many wild Pokémon in the area they walked in, but every now and then they had to face off against a single Zubat or Paras. But Bill still worried of that he wouldn't make it out of the cave.

After a half an hour of walking Bill stopped and threw his backpack at the ground.

"I'm tired of this endless walking!" he shouted in exasperation, "Just because you had to chase some damn rare Pokémon! This is even worse than in the forest!"

"Keep it down!" Jonathan hushed.

"Why?" Bill shouted back, still as angry.

"Damnit, Bill, don't draw any unwanted attention! As long as we do our best not to disturb wild Pokémon in here, they'll leave us alone."

Bill glared at Jonathan this time and turned around. He took a deep breath before screaming.

"Hey, all of you wild Pokémon!" he yelled loudly. The loud voice echoed throughout the cave walls. "Get your weak asses over here right now! I dare you! Come and get me, you cowards. I'll-" He was cut off by a vine that wrapped around his neck. He fell silent as his air supply was cut off.

"Ivysaur, calm him down with some of your Sweet Scent," ordered Jonathan. "And no fancy tricks!" he added. Ivysaur rolled his eyes and sent out some pale green spores that headed towards Bill.

Bill tried to pry off the vines to no avail. As soon as he inhaled the green spores, he felt calmer. It was a lovely scent that somehow smelled like a perfume, but it wasn't too strong or too weak. It was just perfect.

Though his relaxing moments ended when he met the stare of his, now infuriated, friend.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jonathan hissed. "The last thing we need is a large number of wild Pokémon attacking us!"

Bill tried to speak, but Ivysaur kept a firm grip.

"Loosen it up a little," Jonathan told his Pokémon. Ivysaur did so, loosening the grip.

"We're gonna die anyway, so why not hastening it up a little?" Bill croaked.

"Listen, Bill, stuff like this happens during a journey," Jonathan spat, "Pat is most likely to have won the Boulder Badge by now, so she'll probably come this way. If I know her right, she'll probably take a detour as well through these caverns, and she has been here before."

"How did you meet, by the way?" inquired Bill, feeling much calmer. That was probably due to the sweet smelling spores he had inhaled earlier.

"We started out at the same time, but she was better… and her parents weren't as protective as mine. That's the reason I wanted you with me, to convince my parents to let me journey."

"You sly bastard," said Bill as he grinned, "Just because I'm bigger they thought I'd be some kind of a guardian? I'm afraid it has been the other way around so far."

"Well, I needed some reason to let my parents reconsider," Jonathan objected. "Do you feel better now?" he then proceeded to ask.

Bill nodded, and hoped that Jonathan would be right about getting out of this cave, but he really didn't want Pat to catch up. He didn't want to fall victim for her interrogation techniques with her Charizard.

Jonathan ordered Ivysaur to slowly let go of Bill, and the grass Pokémon did so, loosening the grip completely. Bill stood up and drew a long breath.

"I'm ready," he said, picking up his backpack, "How's Growlithe?" he then asked.

"Not too good," Jonathan answered, "it turned out that he was poisoned, so it'll take some time before he'll be able to use his muzzle again. So, until we get to Cerulean, he needs to rest. I already gave him an Antidote, but it'll take some time since the poison has spread out in his body."

"I hope he gets well soon," Bill muttered as he began walking.

They walked through the cave, Bill was as usual flashing ahead with his flashlight, and Jonathan flashed at the ground so they wouldn't trip over something. Bill had the horrible feeling that they were walking in circles inside Mt Moon. He shuddered, almost as if panicking again, but he tried not to since he didn't want to get another smart-assed scolding from Jonathan.

Suddenly they both felt the ground rumble lightly, accompanied with a low growl that seemed to come from everywhere. Both Bill and Jonathan stopped dead.

"What the hell was that?" Bill asked, shivering in fright and looking around himself.

"I don't know," replied Jonathan, walking closer to Bill, "But it can't be any falling rocks; Mt Moon is pretty safe from that. If something has caused that, it must've been an explosion of sorts, which we haven't heard."

Another rumble, this time it seemed to come from below the ground they were standing on. They looked at each other, both being very pale.

"You shouldn't have shouted back there, Bill," Jonathan whispered.

"Do you-" Bill was cut off when his friend hushed him. He realized that he had to keep it a little lower. "Do you think it has to do something with that?" he then whispered back.

"We, or mostly you," Jonathan begun, blaming Bill, "must have disturbed something in here."

"So, we should run or something?" suggested Bill.

Jonathan looked at him as if he was crazy. "Are you crazy? Whatever that is under us will detect our movements. I think we'll have to stay still for a while."

They both carefully sat down, hoping not to cause any noises.

"What kind of a Pokémon could be causing the tremors?" Bill asked, looking at his friend.

Jonathan picked up his Pokédex and searched after digging Pokémon. He read it for a while before pocketing it again.

"It could be some Diglett or Dugtrio, but they aren't found near Mt Moon. Another one could be Sandslash, and if I'm right about that, we're in trouble."

"Why?" inquired Bill.

"An irate group of Sandslash can be as dangerous as a Scyther swarm, Bill, they have sharp claws too you know."

"Don't mention those blade wielding bugs, I already had enough of them last time, okay?" Bill hissed.

"Hey, I just tried to compare with something so you'd be aware of what kind of problems you could cause with your carelessness," Jonathan explained sternly.

"Whatever," muttered Bill.

Time passed, no more rumbles or any sounds could be heard throughout the cave. The only thing they heard was their own breathing, it was so death quiet.

Bill started to drum his hands lightly on his knees like he did when he was in the forest two nights ago He got into a rhythm and started humming a song. He liked doing that, but he couldn't remember from where he had heard them.

Nostalgia was the first word that came into mind while he hummed. He remembered some days when he was with his friends by Victor's house, playing some retro video games. Bubbles, that was the second thing that popped up while he hummed, and annoying spikes. The numeral two seemed to have anything to do with it.

"Hey, Bill," called Jonathan, interrupting Bill's humming.

"Hmm?" he hums back in reply.

"Shut up."

Bill snorts at that and sulks, he felt homesick again, maybe he should consult master Zahn about going home?

He then heard something, it was the rumble again, but it seemed weaker, yet closer. Was whatever that was underground sneaking up on them?

He didn't have much time to think about that, as something seemed to come out from the ground about two metres from them.

Both Bill and Jonathan jumped to their feet, staring at where the underground Pokémon would appear. Jonathan picked up a pokéball, ready to fight back if the opposing Pokémon was hostile.

A Sandslash came out of the ground swiftly. It had its back turned towards the two, but turned to face them. Bill flinched a little when he saw the claws, those claws got leave a big scratch, but they weren't as terrifying as a Scyther's scythes.

Jonathan tossed his pokéball to the ground, revealing Ivysaur.

"Quickly, Ivysaur, Vine Whip it!" Jonathan ordered. Ivysaur quickly extended his vines in order to whip the opposing ground Pokémon.

Sandslash swiftly dodged the first attempt by rolling sideways, but was hit across its face when Ivysaur had whipped at it a second time. Sandslash glared at its attacker afterwards with its black eyes and suddenly charged toward him.

"Shoot some Razor Leaves at it to slow it down!"

Ivysaur shouted his name as he shot out many small green leaves that spun towards the ground Pokémon.

Sandslash, however, leaped up at the instant it saw the sharp leaves. It flipped in midair over the leaves, completely avoiding the attack and landed gracefully right in front of Ivysaur. It pointed its sharp claws at him, threatening him not to move.

Jonathan reached for his pokéball containing Rattata, but received a threatening look from Sandslash. Jonathan put his hands in front of him to show Sandslash that he wasn't about to do anything smart.

The Sandslash turned to look at Bill, pointing at him with its claws. However, by doing so, Ivysaur saw his chance and swiftly ensnared one of his vines around the ground Pokémon's legs. He then lifted the astonished Sandslash up and held him upside-down.

Sandslash started to flail about with his arms and limbs, screeching in the process. Ivysaur swung his vines in a left right movement to calm it down, but it just made it screech louder.

"Ivysaur!" Jonathan called, "throw it away!"

Ivysaur instantly let go of the trapped Pokémon, sending it flying right at Bill. Bill manages to duck right in time to hear the screaming Sandslash soar over is head.

"You did that on purpose, weed-head!" he yelled, receiving a nasty glare from Ivysaur.

"Let's get the hell out of here, Bill, before it recovers!" Jonathan suggested as he returned Ivysaur into his pokéball. He then picked up his things and started to run. Bill did the same, following his friend.

While they were running, they realized that they had forgotten their flashlights where they left Sandslash. Bill stopped to look behind him, he saw Sandslash roll by him quickly, and then rolled back to him. It uncurled and stared at him, claws ready to strike.

Bill cursed inwardly for his carelessness of stopping, and saw only one opportunity.

"Jooon!" he shouted, staring with horror into Sandslash's eyes. He didn't dare to move in case the Pokémon would attack.

He wondered if Jonathan had heard his distress call, he must've gone too far ahead to hear it, or he must've been heading back.

He looked at the Sandslash again, he wondered what kind of weaknesses that Pokémon would have, but it didn't seem poised to attack. He realized something funny.

Sandslash had never attempted to attack at all.

He tried calming himself down, and asked, "You're not going to attack me, are you?"

Sandslash shook its head and lowered its claws briefly. Bill sighed in relief, but still wondered why the Pokémon had bothered them in the first place. Jonathan then came, and picked up a pokéball. The yellow Pokémon turned around and showed its claws at Jonathan, and signalled him to stand next to Bill.

"Don't worry, it isn't hostile," assured Bill.

"Why would you know?"

"It hasn't attacked us," he stated. Jonathan gave him a look of understanding and apologized to the Sandslash, but didn't get a nice reply; the Sandslash repeated to motion Jonathan to stand next to Bill.

Sandslash then let out of a loud call. It didn't last long, but it startled the two boys. After a while, they heard some footsteps advancing. Someone appeared to be running towards them, but the two thought it was some of Sandslash's friends.

It then started to rumble again, this time more powerfully than the last two times. And a roar seemed to echo through the walls.

"Shit…" someone said from afar. Both Bill and Jonathan realized that it was another human in here, who must've been Sandslash's trainer. They looked at each other and smiled, they would finally be able to get out of this cave.

A familiar boy came out from the darkness, he had a black shirt and brown jeans, but his raven black hair reminded Bill of someone.

"Hugh," muttered Bill under his breath.

"You?" Hugh exclaimed. Sandslash walked over to his side.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," Bill said to Hugh, narrowing his eyes.

"You shouldn't even be here in the first place. This is a restricted area!" Hugh stated.

Jonathan looked at him strangely and asked, "Then what are you doing-"

"I have permission!" Hugh snapped, cutting Jonathan off, "I know this cave like my own pocket. I came here to look for some Moon stones when I heard some rumbles and yells. And besides, if Sandslash hadn't stopped you, you'd be dead by now."

Bill and Jonathan gave Hugh a look of confusion.

"The path ahead ends with a cliff, and it is a very long way to the bottom," Hugh explained. The two looked at each other with fear, imagining what would've happened.

"And on top of it all," continued Hugh, "chances are that you have woken up a very aggressive Pokémon from its sleep."

"What kind of Pokémon?" Jonathan inquired.

Hugh looked at him seriously. "You don't want to know."

Bill walked around in a circle, looking around himself anxiously.

"Don't walk about, it'll attract the Pokémon," warned Hugh, "you forgot these," he then added, handing the two flashlights Bill and Jonathan forgot. His face lit up when he realized something. "Speaking of aggressive wild Pokémon and you," he started, looking at Bill.

"What?"

"Pewter was attacked this morning by a Scyther swarm."

"WHAT?" Bill and Jonathan shouted in unison, only to receive a hush form Hugh.

"Keep it down!" he hissed, "Anyway, nobody was seriously hurt, but before any trainer could call their Pokémon, they took hostages. My brother was one of them, and some trainers that were at the Pewter Gym yesterday. They seemed to have a particular interest for one of them. And then they left, just like that."

'_They were looking for me… bastards,'_ Bill thought, putting two and two together.

Jonathan looked at him sternly, yet in disbelief.

"Bill, _what_ did you do that night?" he slowly asked.

"I, and some police officers, would like to know as well. Provoking Pokémon like Scyther is considered a felony, Bill. You should head back to Pewter where you should answer some questions."

Bill had an uncomfortable warm feeling inside him, he shivered despite that he was sweating. He wanted to be as far from Scyther as possible, and now Hugh wanted to bring him back to Pewter. If he had to spend another day there, the Scyther swarm would come back and kill him while he was sleeping.

"No, I don't want to go back," he firmly said.

"Don't make it harder for yourself, you come with me."

"No."

"Can't you just tell me what you did that night?" Jonathan convinced.

"NO!" Bill finally yelled. The yell echoed through the walls, and shortly after it began to rumble again. This time it was violent, the ground shook as something raced under the three boys. Bill backed away from the other two, looking at them with fear.

"Shit!" cursed Hugh, "Nice move, smartass." He glared at Bill, picking his pokéball containing Geodude up.

"Shut up!" yelled Bill in reply. The rumbling suddenly stopped, as if it had descended deeper down. Everyone went dead silent. It was as quiet as in a tomb.

A roar from below was heard, and not soon after, something big and grey burst out from the spot where Bill stood. It lifted Bill up as it wrapped its body around him, dragging him down into the hole it came from. He didn't have enough time to scream as he was dragged into the hole. As it descended deeper with him, he couldn't take much more.

He fainted.

_**To be continued…**_

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A/N

Well, as I said, I'll try to make the chapters shorter, or at least try to practise writing shorter chapters with shorter update time as well. Well, if there are some questions, look at the FAQ. Don't forget to review.


	22. The Pokémon of Peace

_**Chapter 21**_

Yes, yes, I know. I've been on the lazy side again. Reviews are coming up lately, and I hope the story will find a place to be well read. Gosh, that didn't even make any sense.

I AM aware that the quote below is taken from someone else. But as I searched after who said it, it just says "Anonymous". But to make clear, don't throw any fits about that. I AM aware that the quote isn't mine. OKAY? But hey, I still haven't gotten a flame, whee. Oh, yeah, I am aware of that I capitalized "am" twice.

"Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity!" – Bill Anderson (Originally by: Anonymous)

* * *

"**_The Pokémon of Peace"_**

When Bill first opened his eyes, he wondered if he even had opened them. It was pitch black and he had no clue how he had ended up here. Was another one of his horrible dreams coming true? When he tried to move his hands to rub his eyes to check if they were open, a horrible realization hit him.

He couldn't move his arms, as some kind of rocks prevented him to do so. He made another attempt to pull his stuck arms out to no avail. The odd grip tightened briefly around his body, and then loosened.

His heart started to beat faster as he grew more nervous and scared, and the darkness didn't help either. When he tried moving his legs, he was a little relieved that he could move them, but he also wondered why he couldn't feel the ground.

"Hello?" he nervously called, hoping that either Jonathan or Hugh would be in the vicinity. The call eerily echoed through the walls. "Jon? Hugh?" he then added, receiving no answer.

The rocks which held his arms tightened their grip more powerfully this time, almost cutting off his air supply.

'BE QUIET!!' bellowed something right at the face of Bill. Bill's eardrums almost exploded by the booming voice. It wasn't human, nor was it a psychic's voice. He started to wheeze due to the lack of air. Whatever was holding him captive noticed this, and loosened its grip, allowing Bill to inhale sharply.

"What are you?" asked Bill in between his breaths.

It let out a mellow rumble as it most likely studied him. It suddenly let go off him, causing him to crash down on the rocky ground.

"What was that for?" he almost shouted. Bad mistake, he heard it move closer to him.

'I SAID: BE QUIET!' it repeated. Almost every organ inside Bill vibrated at the bellow. He immediately shut up, staring blankly at the darkness.

'The nerve,' it then muttered, sounding calmer. 'Waking me up and screaming right at my face.' It probably had turned its back towards Bill, since the voice sounded more distant.

He carefully sat up and started to search after his backpack, but it wasn't easy finding it, as he couldn't see anything. He crawled on the ground, using his hands to feel the surface in front of him.

'Looking for this?' the Pokémon inquired. Something soft and heavy landed on Bill's back, pinning him down. He was taken aback by the sudden weight being tossed on him, but held back a scream as it would only anger the Pokémon.

Suddenly he wondered why he could understand the Pokémon. Had he accidentally transformed when he fainted? That must've happened, since he really doubted that the Pokémon would be able to speak human language.

He clumsily searched through his backpack after having lifted it away from his back. To his luck, he found his flashlight. He searched for the power button and activated it.

He was blinded by the sudden light, but instantly terrified what kind of a Pokémon which held him captive.

It was a big rocky snake of sorts, and he had seen that kind of Pokémon before. An Onix

'MY EYES!!' it roared, slamming its tail powerfully on the ground. Bill shut the light down instantly.

"Sorry," he squeaked.

'You better be. You could at least have forewarned me!' it growled.

"I will, I will. Just don't kill me!" pleaded Bill. The Onix seemed to slither closer, towering over him.

It seemed to hum before speaking. 'Interesting,' it mused. Bill heard it move again, as if coiling up itself. 'Light it up,' it then demanded.

Hesitating at first, Bill let his finger press the power button. He faced the flashlight away from the Onix this time so he wouldn't anger it again. At the moment he clicked it on, he was blinded once again, but then looked at the Onix right at its face.

Its eyes were screwed shut, knowing that it'd help it from being blinded again. It was bigger than him; in fact it was slightly bigger than the one he saw in the gym. It had, as he had guessed, coiled up its body, but still towered over him.

The Onix slowly opened its eyes after having gotten used to the light. It opened its big mouth, staring at him. Bill flinched at the sight; after experiencing the events in Viridian Forest, he couldn't help but imagine if the Onix would make a quick meal out of him.

'As I thought,' it said smugly, 'you do understand me.'

If Bill hadn't been sitting down, he would have jumped back in astonishment.

"Yeah, I kinda do," he acknowledged to the rock snake.

The Onix bent down to Bill's eye level. 'Then we can have a little chat, you and I,' it suggested.

"I'm sorry for accidentally waking you up, but-"

'SILENCE!' Onix roared in Bill's face. 'I do not want any excuses,' it finished with a hiss.

Bill whimpered for his life. Even though he was in Pokémon status, he'd never take anything that big down. He tried to shuffle away from it, but due to him suddenly feeling paralyzed with fear prevented him to do so.

Onix started to loom over Bill again, towering over him.

'I do not wish you any harm, human,' it assured.

"But you almost squeezed the life out of me before," objected Bill.

Onix sighed in frustration, 'I had to take drastic actions of trying to keep you quiet. Other than that, I wouldn't hurt a human.'

"Why did you take me down here?" asked Bill, changing the subject. He hoped that this conversation would lead to his freedom.

'I assumed that your friends would battle me, and seeing that you have no assistants, I saw you as an easy pick. Furthermore, it was you who caused me to wake up from my deep slumber.'

"I'm really sorry about-"

Onix suddenly charged forward and lashed out its tail towards Bill, pinning him to the wall. The breath was almost knocked out of Bill at the instant he hit the wall.

'I TOLD YOU! NO MORE EXCUSES FROM YOU UNTIL I ASK YOU FOR ONE!!' it roared, widening its eyes and pressing him harder against the wall.

Bill couldn't say anything, the sudden blow had caught him off guard and he had trouble when it came to breathing.

Onix suddenly let go, and Bill slumped down from the wall, ending up in a sitting position.

'My apologies, I don't know what came over me,' it mumbled, 'just don't make any pitiful excuses.'

It slithered away and flung Bill's flashlight to him using its tail. It landed just within his reach, but he tried regaining his breath to normal before picking it up.

When he regained his breath he asked, "What are you going to do with me?"

Onix turned to him with its mouth wide open, as if smiling. 'I simply want to devour you so you'll be silent afterwards,' it simply said.

Bill yelped and tried backing away, but couldn't due to him already being blocked by a wall. He breathed rapidly as he watched helplessly as the rock snake approached.

Strangely enough, it began to growl rapidly, as if laughing.

'Fooled you!' it announced, still laughing.

"That was not funny!" growled Bill, receiving a stare from the rock snake.

'I just wanted to make extra sure you understood me, and now I have proof enough.'

"This is pointless," Bill snapped, "What do you want with me?" he repeated.

'I am a Pokémon of peace, but your kind doesn't seem to understand that. Every time a human sees me – which is rarely – they either scream or run in panic, or attempt to fight me.'

Bill looked at the Pokémon. It seemed to have serious issues of mood swings.

'I actually planned to show a real example of what happens if someone disturbs me, but now – seeing as you understand me perfectly – I can use you to give a message to humans that I am a Pokémon of peace!' It smiled to itself in a compliment to itself.

Bill knew that this couldn't be done, mostly because his friends would realize he had been talking directly to the Onix. That would lead to how he would be able to talk with Pokémon, and many other questions he'd have to answer which would lead to using a Blackout Blast on his friend.

'_Shit!'_ he thought. He had forgotten about Jonathan and Hugh. What were they doing now? They must be worried sick of him. Or worse, they might think he's dead.

'What do you think, human?' asked Onix eagerly, causing Bill to snap back to reality.

He hesitated. "I… I can't do that," he stuttered.

Onix lowered itself to his eyelevel again, narrowing its eyes. 'And why, if I may ask, is that?'

Bill trembled and tried to look away, but Onix just followed his eyes.

"I can't let other humans know that I understand you, I'll be hunted by them."

Onix scoffed. 'That is ridiculous!'

"You need to show it yourself that you aren't willing to cause harm to humans!"

Onix slowly slithered closer up to Bill, its face almost touching his. 'And how will I manage that? I don't want to end up caught! I want to be free!' it said to him, backing away. It took a deep breath. 'I AM A POKÉMON OF PEACE!' it bellowed.

"I think I have an idea," suggested Bill. Onix snapped to his direction and looked at him. "Why not just let me go so my friends would get the idea that you'd be calmer if it just was quieter? And then we could convince the authorities to completely block off the tunnel leading to where you reside."

'How do I know that you will keep your word when I get you to your friends?' it suspiciously asked him.

"Would you go as far as killing me?" Bill inquired slyly.

Onix shot him a glare. 'You don't have any idea how far I would go for finding peace. I could kill you, your friends, and anyone who enters this mountain. I am willing to do all that, just for finding peace.'

Bill gaped at the rock snake; he didn't know if it was serious or not, but he was scared enough to crack a quote he remembered seeing on a shirt back home.

"You know, Onix?" he started, showing a mischievous glee. "Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity."

It was dead silent after he said that. Onix tilted its head as it gazed at him. It studied his looks and then threw its head back in a mighty laugh.

'Good one!' it told him, catching him off guard yet again.

'_Damn those mood swings,'_ Bill thought to himself, rolling his eyes at the Onix

"Why can't you just let me go, or help me out of this?" he then asked the rock snake. "My friends are getting worried."

Onix looked at him, and then gazed upwards. 'It's a long way up, human. It will be impossible for you to climb up on yourself.'

Bill pointed his flashlight upwards, seeing a hole that seemed to go into infinity. How far down had he been brought in the first place?

"I have a suggestion." Onix looked at him inquisitively. "Wouldn't it be wise if you helped me out of here? My friends would view you as less threatening then."

'I could take you high enough for you to climb the rest, which itself won't be much,' it stated in agreement.

"Why not carry me up the whole way?" suggested Bill hopefully.

Onix growled before answering, 'And get attacked by your friends?' It shook its head, 'It is most certain that they are worried, and might even think I might harm you and them in the process.'

"But it isn't easy climbing with this on my back!" protested Bill, referring to his backpack.

'Then why don't you simply leave it then?' suggested Onix helpfully.

"I can't do that!" Bill exclaimed, "It is important stuff!"

Onix seemed to roll its eyes as it muttered, 'humans.'

'I do recall another opening not far from where I picked you up,' it then told him. 'I can take you there instead if you mind that.'

"Of course I mind that," replied Bill, smiling. But his smile faltered when he saw Onix's curious gaze. "Oh, silly me, I meant that I do not mind that, it's okay." Bill always hated the "do you mind" questions, he always replied in the wring way.

'Humans…' Onix once again muttered. It lowered itself to Bill's eyelevel again. 'Before I bring you back, I want you to apologize for the screaming.'

Bill hesitated at first, as he knew how Onix had reacted when he had tried to apologize earlier. But it had made it clear it wanted an apology now. "I… I'm sorry for waking you up. I-it won't happen again."

Onix looked at him for a while, rumbling lightly. 'Apology accepted, but don't make any promises you don't know will keep,' it warned, drawing a deep breath. After letting out a sigh, it gestured him to climb up onto it. 'Hop up on the back and hold on tight, human.'

Bill put his flashlight in his backpack and climbed up onto the Onix and grabbed a firm hold of one of the many boulders it was made of. The rock snake then shot upwards in one of the tunnels it had made. Bill held on for his dear life as he zoomed up with the snake. But at the end of the tunnel, Onix seemed to collide with something, and dust, pebbles and dirt rained down on it and Bill.

After finally coming out of the tunnel, Bill hopped of the rock snake, bringing out his flashlight. Onix burrowed into the ground and then stuck up its head to face Bill.

'My apologies, but this tunnel was blocked by a rock which caused the impact. I hope you didn't get hurt,' it informed Bill as he brushed off the dirt.

"I'm okay," muttered Bill.

'I am counting on you, human, that you will help me get a better reputation. What is most important is that I just want some peace and quiet around here.'

"I'll try to do my best," Bill said almost dutifully. "How will I find my friends from here? Is it okay if I shout around so they'll hear me?" he asked.

'As long as you don't keep yelling around for too long, I can accept that you do that.'

"Thank you," Bill mumbled, looking slightly down.

'Farewell, human,' Onix simply said as it instantly burrowed under the ground, not coming back up.

Bill turned around and looked at his surroundings. Once again, he was alone. He hated it. By reflex, he put his hand on his head to check if he still had his cap on, and to his luck he had. He sighed in relief; he didn't want to bother buying a new one after having the first one in roughly one day.

He took it off and examined it, it was still in one piece, and there weren't any signs of damage.

"Hurray!" he cheered as he put it on his head again. But his happiness quickly faltered when he realized that he didn't know where he was. Where were Jonathan and Hugh in the first place?

"Jon? Hugh?" he called, only receiving echoes throughout the cave. He started walking towards the first and best way he could think of, and hoped that he'd find them.

'_Stupid hippie Onix, I'll probably get myself lost again, unless…'_ He stopped, realizing he was in Pokémon status. He could always ask a Pokémon inside Mt Moon if it had seen one of his friends. He shrugged that though off and kept walking, keeping his sight at the ground in case there would be a hole or something.

He noticed some Pokémon up ahead, and he recognized of which species they were of.

Paras.

The bug Pokémon had noticed him as well, and started to walk towards him. They didn't seem as hostile as they had been last time he met them, and he was sure that these were the ones he and Jonathan had met before.

'The human is alive?' one of them said.

The other one looked at the first one. 'What's he doing here anyway?'

'His friend isn't here, and this one doesn't seem to have any helpers with him,' noted a third one.

"Excuse me?" said Bill, lifting his cap. The Paras stopped talking and looked at him.

'The human wants to talk with us,' the second chuckled.

'What a moron, let's make him sleep,' suggested the first one.

"Hey, hey!" shouted Bill, "I'm just going to ask you something!" The Pokémon seemed to ignore him and approached. "If you even attempt hitting me with those spores, I'll burn you!" he threatened, focusing on entering fire status.

'Aw, the human is rude. Let's teach him a lesson.'

"I'll show you a lesson, you bugger!" Bill snarled as he quickly charged up an Ember, hurling it towards the Paras which had spoken.

The Paras was enough dumbfounded by Bill's direct answer and action to be hit by the fireball. It was thrown back a short distance. The other Paras had stopped their advance.

'Not human, I believe,' the second one said, 'I assume you understand us as well.'

"Yes, I fricking understand you, Paras, don't make such a big deal out of it!" Bill snapped, keeping his guard up. "I just want to ask you something."

'Shoot.'

Bill lowered his fists, caught off guard due to the Paras's instant message of defeat. "Well, uh, do you happen to know if you've seen two humans recently? I'm kinda looking for them."

The Paras rolled its eyes. 'You're not out of luck, I believe I heard a couple of them from that way a while ago,' it informed.

"Why, thank you," replied Bill, bowing slightly, "I better be off now, so I guess I shouldn't bother you anymore," he then added, putting his cap on. He turned to walk towards the direction.

'Hey,' one of them said. Bill turned to face them. 'Be careful, the Onix is awake, so you should proceed carefully.'

"Don't worry, I got it covered," Bill assured. The Paras looked at him with confusion, blinking blankly. "Well, uh, bye," he then finished as he left off to the direction.

He smiled as he walked; he'd finally find Jonathan if he would be located where the Paras had told him. He let out of a call to see if he got any responses. No answer. He'd get out of this forsaken cave anyway and the Onix had given him permission to call for his friends.

He almost seemed to recognize his surroundings by now, after fifteen minutes of walking. Maybe the Onix hadn't brought him too far away from where he had been abducted. He almost fell down the hole which seemed to be exactly the one he had been abducted through. He praised himself for keeping his flashlight pointed at the ground, or he'd probably meet up with that Onix again, something which neither of them wanted.

"Jon?" he called again, "Hugh?" If the Paras had insisted that they were somewhere here, they could've been trying to go down via a rope or something.

"Over here!" came a faint voice from a direction. Bill knew it was probably Hugh, and he seemed to be further inside the path he was walking on.

It was almost like the hallelujah chorus was singing inside his head as he walked towards the direction of the voice. But it seemed to stop when he thought about another thing. Why had the Paras given up so quickly and told him the way? There was something fishy…

He shrugged it off; he'd find Hugh and Jonathan to the least anyway.

But when he spotted Hugh, he saw him sitting against the wall, no, he was cowering. And right next to him sat Jonathan, doing the same. But when Bill walked up to them, he noticed that Jonathan was also covering his face with his hands, sobbing.

"What's up with him?" Bill wondered. Hugh didn't answer, and pointed to his left.

Bill slowly moved his flashlight to where Hugh had pointed. Something was wrong, very wrong.

The first thing he saw was blood, and when he raised the light, he saw Jonathan's Pidgey. What sickened him was that the bird didn't seem to move, and at a second look, he saw that the bird's head wasn't where it should've been.

'_What… the…?'_ he thought, starting to shiver in fright. His hands were shaking as well, as the light seemed to be going up and down at a rapid succession. He then saw Metapod, but instead of blood coming out of him, some odd coloured puddle plus intestines were at his side. At a closer look, he saw that it was actually a half Metapod, and the other half was just right next to it.

He quickly turned to Hugh, as Jonathan was still crying. It was now he saw the look of fear in Hugh's face. "What the hell has happened?" Bill slowly asked. Hugh stared at him and pointed at Bill, his mouth open.

A chill ran down Bill's spine, and he shivered once more. He slowly turned around, still looking at Hugh. He didn't want this, he just wanted to have a peaceful trip through Mt Moon. With a sudden jerk to look behind him, he saw what he feared the most.

Firzé, and the rest of the Scyther swarm…

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

A/N

Okay, fellow readers, I will do my best to finish next chapter as soon as possible. But don't expect that the next update will be quick. Just have faith…


	23. Exposed and Inferior

_**Chapter 22**_

I've got one thing to say… I suck at rhymes. And the "Please R&R will probably taken away when I'm not in a "must have a damn review" mood. Well, enjoy a action filled script, which you probably predicted.

"Look out!" – Jonathan Huntley

* * *

"**_Exposed and Inferior"_**

Bill stared at his nemesis, Firzé. Of all of the situations he had been in, this was most likely the worst one. Even if he was in Pokémon status, he was still defenceless. He couldn't reveal his identity to his friends, not this soon.

Firzé gestured the Scyther to walk up to Hugh and Jonathan, as if they had been holding them hostage while Bill had been with the Onix. He looked over his shoulder to see that he was right; the Scyther were now looking down at them, holding their blades to hint them what would happen if they tried anything smart.

'Surprised to see me, no?' Bill jumped in the sudden shock. He quickly turned to Firzé, whom he saw standing right before him.

Bill was about to answer, but decided not to. He couldn't just talk with the Pokémon with his friends listening. He heard someone walk up behind him, but he couldn't turn to look as he would break Firzé's eye contact.

'As I thought,' said Firzé smugly, 'too afraid to answer.' He lifted his scythe and pointed at Bill, who backed away. Bill wondered briefly why Firzé didn't even approach him as he backed away. However, he soon found out why.

A pair of scythes caught him in what would look like a hug, and whoever was holding his arms so he wasn't able to move. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see who it was, but he couldn't discern any details.

'You're ours now, human, you won't escape this time,' he hissed in Bill's ear. Bill recognized the voice as Sharp's. But Firzé didn't seem to like what Sharp was doing.

'Sharp, leave him to me, you should focus on disposing of the corpses over there,' he suggested, pointing at the dead Metapod and Pidgey. Sharp slid one of his scythes smoothly down Bill's right arm.

'Remember,' he whispered in Bill's ear as he let go, 'your right arm is mine.' He met Bill's gaze with a leer as he, along with other Scyther, walked up to the dead Pokémon.

Bill watched them walk up to the two of Jonathan's Pokémon and saw them crouch down in a half circle. He quickly turned away, hearing some slicing from the direction.

'_Eww,'_ he thought, knowing what those Scyther did.

'What's the matter with you, human?' asked Firzé suddenly. Bill turned to him and stared right at the tip of a scythe. 'Normally, you would say something in retaliation, but you haven't opened your mouth,' he added.

Bill slowly backed away from the leader Scyther once again, this time Firzé followed him. The Pokémon seemed to get angrier of Bills silence.

'Why aren't you answering, human?' he snarled, forcing Bill to his friends. 'You're acting just like any incompetent human, how come that you refuse talking to me?' Firzé suddenly stopped, but he then shoved Bill so he fell down. Bill found himself sitting next to Hugh, and saw Jonathan still sobbing next to Hugh.

Firzé's eyes seemed to light up with excitement, and his smile got wider as he leaped towards Bill.

Bill covered his eyes by reflex, and waited for the blow. But nothing happened. He heard some sniffing, and when he opened his eyes he saw Firzé sniffing his face.

"Shoo, away, Scyther," he said, trying hopelessly to shuffle farther away from the Scyther. Firzé smiled and turned to Hugh, sniffing him as well. After that, Firzé walked up to the sobbing Jonathan.

Jonathan promptly glared at the Scyther when he noticed that he was close, but Firzé just let out a hiss in response.

"What the _hell_ did you do to piss them off this bad?" Hugh whispered to Bill, glaring at him.

"Why the hell aren't you using your Pokémon instead?" countered Bill. Hugh punched his shoulder in reply.

"Jonathan used Pidgey to try looking for you, and got killed by them," Hugh snarled, "and when we ran up to see what had killed him, we encountered those Scyther. Before Jonathan reacts, his Metapod suddenly pops out of his pokéball and tries to fight them. And I'm pretty sure they killed him to that to make an example of what would happen to us if we even tried to call any more Pokémon.

"Once again, Bill, what did you do to them to piss them off?" he then repeated.

"You wouldn't understand," muttered Bill, trying to avoid the subject.

A scythe was lowered so it was in between of the two. When they looked up, they saw the leader Scyther.

'No conversations between you two when I'm not hearing,' said Firzé smugly, 'understood?' He raised his scythe and pointed it at Hugh, hinting him to back off.

He then turned to Bill again, slowly walking up to him with a wide smile on his face.

'You appear to be… different from your friends, and it seems that you do not want that. Correct?'

'_Busted,'_ Bill thought.

Firzé scoffed. 'Won't you show any more tricks you have? Let me see your fire tricks again,' he requested smirking.

Bill remained silent, and wasn't about to change into fire status. He just stared at Firzé, wondering what the Scyther would do next. Firzé leaned forward and flashed a lunatic glee suddenly, chuckling.

'Refusing, aren't you? Then let's play a little game,' he then suggested, his scary glee still on his face.

Firzé gestured Jonathan and Hugh to come closer, but since they couldn't understand what he meant, he had to order Lozi to force them closer to where Bill was.

They were now sitting close to each other, and they all watched the Scyther point his scythe at them repeatedly.

'Eeny meeny miny mo,' he started, pointing at a different target at every syllable. 'Which one of you should I let go?' Firzé briefly stopped, pointing at Jonathan. But he then continued, chanting slower. 'A rude one you were though… yet a certain someone's mind remind me of a Murkrow.' He pointed at Bill, grinning. He then let his scythe slide over to Hugh.

'I…' He moved it to Jonathan.

'Choose…' He paused, glancing at Bill. He then pointed at Hugh again.

'You!'

Firzé kept pointing at Hugh for a lengthy time, hinting him that he had been chosen. Bill clenched his fist, waiting to see if Firzé had planned on attacking Hugh or not.

Firzé then motioned for Hugh to stand up and walk away from Bill and Jonathan. 'Lozi, keep an eye on that one while I continue my little game on the last two.'

"Jon, how do you feel?" Bill asked, trying to comfort his friend. Jonathan didn't answer; he just shot Bill a glare.

'Eeny meeny miny mo,' Firzé then chanted, moving his scythe from the left to the right repeatedly. Both Bill and Jonathan followed its pattern.

"I want you to know something," Jonathan then spoke up. Bill looked at him. "You're the worst thing that ever happened to me. Because of you, I've lost Pidgey and Metapod, just because you ticked those Scyther off!"

Bill didn't answer, he turned away from Jonathan and faced Firzé's scythe.

'Shall I cut you high or low?' the Pokémon proceeded to chant, 'Only fate decides, and fate decides that I…' he paused, licking his fang while looking at Bill, and swallowed.

'Choose…' He was pointing at Bill, and let his scythe slide over to Jonathan.

'You…' Bill rolled his eyes, he knew that Firzé would let Jonathan walk away along with Hugh.

But then Firzé began to wave his scythe in the same fashion he did before. '…To watch a demise of a friend. But if I really want you to, I'd rather have some flesh from you.' He pointed at Bill, showing a mischievous gleefulness.

'But for some icing, we need some dicing. And the chosen one to die…' He slowed down again on his chanting, watching Bill and Jonathan's nervous stares.

'Will…' He pointed at Jonathan, and slowly moved it to Bill.

'Be…' Firzé leered at Bill when he let his scythe slide over to Jonathan very slowly.

'You,' he finished. It was silent for a while, and Firzé kept pointing at Jonathan, chuckling darkly. 'Sharp!' he called still looking at the two, 'get over here and restrain the human.'

Sharp approached Bill, as he and the other Scyther were finished with feasting on the dead Pokémon. While Sharp approached Bill, Firzé looked at him menacingly.

'Human, fate says that your friend will depart soon, unless you do not wish to fight me. It is your call, what do you choose?'

Bill remained silent, hoping that Firzé was bluffing.

'You!' the leader Scyther then said to Jonathan. 'Here! Now!' he ordered, giving Jonathan hints of what to do. Jonathan slowly got up to his feet and slowly walked up to the Scyther. Sharp had stopped and looked curiously on what Firzé was doing.

In one quick move, Firzé dashed behind Jonathan and had him in a grip from behind, his scythe a centimetre away from his throat. Jonathan gasped and tried to push away the scythe. A quick jerk from Firzé's other scythe ensured him what would happen if he struggled any more.

"Jon!" Bill yelled, jumping to his feet. Sharp began to walk towards Bill when he saw that, ready to restrain him from attacking Firzé.

'Human,' Firzé started threateningly, 'I will first kill your friend, and then the other human, and lastly you,' he told him, lifting his free scythe. He waved it around Jonathan's eyes slowly.

"You wouldn't!" Bill cried defiantly, readying himself.

'Then watch me end your friend's life,' he coldly replied as he positioned the lower tip of his scythe at Jonathan's throat, about to slit it in one quick move.

Bill realised that Firzé was being serious, and he saw Sharp standing right in front of him. Bill turned away from Sharp briefly, and then turned back to him, sending a weakly charged Mega Punch right at his mid section. Sharp doubled over at the sudden impact, and Bill quickly dashed towards the astonished Firzé.

"Bill, don't!" Hugh warned, seeing what Bill was doing.

But Bill threw Firzé to the ground with a powerful body tackle. Unfortunately, the sudden attack had caused Firzé to cut open a nasty wound on Jonathan's arm as he tried to let him go when he saw Bill rushing at him.

"You freak!" Bill roared, sitting on top of Firzé, "I'll kill you!" He was sitting with his knees on the flats of Firzé's blades, rendering them useless. He pulled back his fist and brought it down right at Firzé's face.

"My arm!" Jonathan yelled, lying on the ground clutching his bleeding arm. This distracted Bill, who looked at his injured friend.

Firzé made an attempt to throw Bill off, but failed as Bill quickly threw a punch at his face again. Firzé suddenly grinned.

'Can't you do better than hitting a downed foe? If you can't, I'll have to order the others to kill off your friends.' Firzé narrowed his eyes, 'Come on, give me your best shot.'

Bill heard some noise from behind, and looked over his shoulder. Hugh had apparently tried to punch the Scyther who was holding him, but the Pokémon had retaliated with a smack at his face.

Bill turned back to Firzé and pulled back his fist, charging up a Mega Punch. He gritted his teeth as he glared at the smirking Firzé, and waited until his Mega Punch was charged at max power. He assumed that both Hugh and Jonathan would be staring at him by now, but he didn't care; he just wanted to punch that smirk off of Firzé's face.

His fist was glowing white, which signified that his charge was fully complete. The light was bright enough to illuminate the room they were in faintly. He brought his charged fist down powerfully, aiming straight at Firzé's face. But the dark green Scyther quickly tilted his head to the right as much as he could, and Bill's fist hit the rocky ground.

The impact was hard enough to cause the ground to tremble, but it stopped as soon as it had started.

"AJ, FAN! MY HAND!" Bill cried, holding his injured hand. The missed blow had resulted in damage to Bill's hand, and it was most likely useless for a while.

Firzé, on the other hand, used the moment to throw Bill off him by lifting one of his blades to trip him. Bill was caught off guard as he rolled over, and the next thing he knew, was having Firzé over him instead.

'Hah! Unexpected turn of events, hmm?' he sneered while holding Bill's arms to the ground with the flats of his scythes. The Scyther lowered his head closer to Bill's. 'Your battle strategy is far too easy to see through, it only consists of cheap shots, and you're still too slow.'

"Nice speech, Firzé," spat Bill, trying to wiggle himself free from the scythes, but Firzé then poised them so the sharp edges were pushing his arms down.

'Now, now, no hasty movements, human, you can't handle much more pain.' Firzé straightened himself up a bit, increasing the distance between his and Bill's heads. 'You seem to value your friends, after all.' He grinned, 'Here I thought you'd let anyone die so you'd stay living yourself, you selfish piece of filth.'

Bill looked at him oddly, "What do you- Whoa!" He got shocked when he saw a green, clawed foot right over his face, and he was pretty sure that its owner was about to stomp him on his face.

'Sharp!' Firzé snapped, 'don't even think about it!'

'That scum's gonna pay for that punch!' Sharp shot back, about to bring down his foot on Bill's head.

'Make yourself useful and watch over the injured human, he could attempt calling for some slaves.' Firzé quickly glanced at Jonathan, who was standing up with a confused look on Bill. He was holding a pokéball in his healthy hand. 'STOP HIM!' Firzé barked at Sharp.

But it was already too late; as soon as Jonathan had heard Firzé's cry, he hurled the pokéball at him. Bill thought that he was going to trap Firzé in it, so he could get to his feet. But he was so wrong about that.

The pokéball was heading right at him instead.

Sharp had just knocked Jonathan down when the pokéball hit Bill's head. The device opened in its regular fashion, and enveloped Bill in a transparent, red light. He felt an invisible force pull him inside the pokéball. He looked in horror when his entire body morphed into a thin light, and then, everything went completely dark.

He felt like he was tucked into a ball, well, he was inside one, but it was absolutely no source of light. If it wasn't enough, the space he was in was constantly tightening, and it seemed that strange red rays were forming a round net around him. He had to get out, but how? He did the first thing that came into his mind.

He used all of his strength to stretch out his body as freely as he could. The force field was pretty strong, but he was slowly breaking through it. But he quickly got tired, and was instantly reversed into the ball position. He panicked and started to thrash around inside the infinite blackness, the red rays seemed to be disrupted by the struggling, preventing them to complete the red net around him.

Suddenly, the force that was squeezing him inside just disappeared. He saw light again and found himself sitting on the rock ground.

He jumped to his feet, and saw the pokéball that could've trapped him. It just lay there, split in two halves uselessly. He then looked up to see everyone around him stare at him as if he was a ghost.

"What?" he yelled out in frustration. Jonathan stared at him blankly, as did Hugh.

"Bill," started Jonathan, "what the hell?"

"I'll explain after I've taken care of the Scyther," Bill shot back, turning to face Firzé. He then took off his cap and threw it towards Jonathan. "Watch over that one until I'm done."

Firzé raised his scythes, staring Bill down. 'Well, it seems you are of a species of which I haven't heard of. Very well, it'll be a pleasure making sure that you will be extinct in a matter of time.'

Bill thought about changing into fire status, but hesitated.

"Hey, do any of you know this Pokémon's weakness?" he promptly asked Jonathan and Hugh, not taking his stare from Firzé's.

"I dunno, fire works great," suggested Jonathan. But Hugh seemed to know more.

"It's easy, Bill, they're extremely weak against- AAah!" Hugh never got to finish as a scythe was positioned by his neck.

"What, Hugh, What?" Bill wondered, not knowing what was happening behind him.

'Typical human,' Firzé muttered, 'going for the weaknesses is the first thing you do.' He shook his head slowly, 'Oh well, he won't say anything for now. If he does, it'll be his last words.'

That caused Bill to quickly turn around to see Sharp holding his scythe right at Hugh's throat.

"Come on, Hugh, just one word!" pleaded Bill, sweat running down his face.

'Yeah, one word and he's dead,' Sharp warned. Hugh tried to utter some words, but as he did, Sharp tightened the grip.

"Damn you," Bill muttered.

"Look out!" Jonathan yelled.

Bill quickly looked over his shoulder to see Firzé charging at him. He barely managed to dive away from the attack, and landed hard on the ground. Firzé didn't stop there; he leaped towards Bill and attempted to stab him while he was lying on the ground.

Bill quickly shuffled away, avoiding the scythe. Firzé repeated the actions of stabbing after Bill, missing every time. But Bill soon backed into a wall, hitting it with his head. He slumped down on the ground.

'Now,' Firzé started, prodding Bill with one of his scythes, 'nothing can save you. No fancy fire powers, no accursed time stopping thing, and neither will your friends. Even if you let them die, you won't survive this time.'

"What do you mean?" asked Bill, petrified with fear in the current position he was in.

'Shallow, incompetent excuse for weak being,' Firzé muttered under his breath. 'I'm talking about a certain Scyther friend of yours!' he then snapped, raising his other scythe. Bill tried to think back, and thought about the Scyther which in theory had saved his life.

"Plum? But wasn't he-"

'You catch on fast, don't you?' Firzé cut in. 'We made an agreement, me and you, and as we clearly stated, only one could leave.'

Bill was silent, he put two and two together.

'You caused his death, human, there's no denying that. You ruined everything for him, he just needed that night to watch over you, but you manipulated him to do your bidding. It won't work this time, when you're dealt with, your friends will face the same fate. But don't worry, they'll have a much faster and painless death,' he ensured.

Bill clenched his fists, and felt as he was about to cry. What had he done? Firzé was right, he had used Plum, and he was responsible of his death.

'Get up!' Firzé ordered and took a step back. Bill saw that he didn't have much of a choice, so he sat up. 'That's enough,' said Firzé. Bill sat there, waiting for what would happen. Firzé started to pace around him in a circle, mumbling for himself.

He suddenly raised both of his scythes after walked around him two laps, and a black aura surrounded them. Before Bill knew it, Firzé slashed once at his chest, and then did the same with the other scythe, forming an X on his chest.

Bill immediately clutched his chest in pain. He screamed as the black cuts bled black blood. He then got swatted powerfully by a scythe across the face, knocking him down.

'Hah! How do you like that, you human scum?' Firzé roared in fury, but it wasn't loud enough to drown Bill's screams. 'Feel the pain you lousy filth, FEEL IT!' He stomped on Bill's bleeding chest as he screamed.

'Leader, get a hold of yourself!' Amethyst cried.

'Be quiet!' Firzé barked back, kicking Bill once.

Bill's screaming was being replaced with violent coughing. When he realised that he was coughing black blood, he started to panic more. Firzé kicked him again, this time hard enough for him to roll over to his side. Firzé stuck both of his scythes under Bill's arms and lifted him up. Then he clasped Bill's neck with his jaws, preparing to break his neck.

Firzé twisted his head to the left violently, but it wasn't enough to break Bill's neck. He made another attempt to the right, but it failed to.

_You have an open shot on his left! Take it now!_

Bill's pain suddenly washed away when he heard the voice inside his head.

"Wh-what?"

_You won't be able to withstand another twist. His left. NOW!_

Bill listened and delivered a powerful elbow right at Firzé's left side. It was a perfect hit, and the Scyther hadn't seen that coming. Firzé dropped Bill as he slightly doubled over at his side, and then Bill sent a punch at Firzé's face, backing away to get some distance.

Bill rubbed his neck; it felt a little sore, and there was some saliva on it, but it was intact.

_Don't just stand there; he's going for a high horizontal slash at your neck!_ the voice warned. _Duck and counter!_

Right after that, Firzé dashed towards Bill, his scythes ready to slice him.

'DIE!' he screeched in blind rage.

The mysterious voice had been right, Firzé was going for a high horizontal slash, and he ducked right under it. He used the momentum to send a weak Mega Punch right at Firzé's mid section. It was enough for Firzé to double over again, and Bill charged a Mega Punch once again.

This time it was fully charged, and he powerfully struck Firzé right at his throat. The Scyther was instantly knocked to the ground, coughing violently. He tried to scream at Bill, but couldn't.

_Quickly! Go into fire status and torch him!_ the voice suggested.

"Okay," Bill agreed, not aware of that he was talking to himself. He focused on fire and felt his body heat up briefly. He charged up an Ember in his right hand, as his left still hurt after the missed punch before, and threw it at Firzé.

Firzé was hit by the fireball and attempted to scream again, but he still had problems breathing after the hit before. He quickly leaped up to his feet, using one scythe to prevent falling down again, and his breaths were clearly hoarse .He had been lightly burned by the Ember, but it would take a lot more to defeat him.

_A vertical at your right, quickly followed up with a horizontal at your chest. Be prepared,_ the voice predicted, giving Bill a chance to counter.

The voice had been right again; Firzé suddenly dashed at him, and slashed vertically at Bill's left. Bill promptly side stepped, and knowing that the second strike was going at his chest, he grabbed the upper part of Firzé's arm to prevent that.

_No! You were supposed to dodge,_ the voice scolded. Instantly after that, Firzé swatted at Bill's face as he held the other scythe. The blow wasn't that powerful, as it was like a last resort of Firzé's, but it was enough for Bill to turn around of the force.

Firzé then seized the chance and embraced both of his scythes around Bill's neck from behind, pulling him towards himself to force him to sit down. Bill tried to pry them off, but he couldn't get a good grip on them. He grabbed the blades at their blunt side, trying to pull them away, but it was too much to Firzé's advantage.

'You're full of surprises, human, but it's over now,' Firzé hissed at Bill, voice still a little raspy. 'Accept it,' he then whispered in Bill's ear. He tried to get his scythes close enough to Bill's neck, but Bill wasn't about to give up that easily.

_I think you should do what he says,_ the voice muttered inside Bill's head. _It's not like you had a chance anyway, taking account of that you don't listen well to orders._ The voice faded away, and the excruciating pain in Bill's chest flared up again. He screamed and squirmed under the pain, while trying to pull away the scythes.

'You can't keep that up forever, but I can, human, so just accept that your time is up,' Firzé, almost softly, told him. But Bill didn't listen, the pain, and the fact that the voice had abandoned him, was almost too much for him to handle. Yet, it fuelled his strength with hate so he could hold off the scythes.

He made one last attempt on breaking free, and he almost succeeded, until his grip slipped on the left scythe, causing it to swing right at his neck. Fortunately, the swing was too short to pose any threat, but it still hurt a little when it was right at his neck. I panic, he quickly let go of the other scythe to use both hands to pull of the one at his neck, but that just resulted him sitting there with a pair of scythes around his neck.

'Close, very close indeed,' commended Firzé, 'but just not enough, now was it? Too bad for you that your fighting strategy is a disgrace, otherwise, there'd be a _very_ little chance that I would have let you go now. But, you can't change the past,' he told him, sniffing his backside of the neck. 'But you'll serve as a nice meal for us and then your two human friends will as well.'

"Leave them out of this!" croaked Bill weakly, trying to fight back the pain in his chest. "They have nothing to do with this."

'They have, human,' countered Firzé. 'That one-' Firzé tilted Bill's head to the right, indicating that he meant Jonathan. '-ruined all my plans to kill you, and the other one is probably another one of your new bodyguards.'

There was a weak rumble that interrupted Firzé's speech to Bill. Firzé snapped up and looked at his surroundings, wondering what that could've been. The grip around Bill's neck loosened a bit.

Another tremor, but more powerfully this time.

'Don't move!' Firzé warned his comrades, 'something is coming!'

Bill knew what it was, and hoped that it'd be a new chance to get out alive.

"ONIIIX!!" he cried. "OVER HEERE!" The grip tightened instantly at his screams, as if to prevent him from doing that. Bill's strength in his arms seemed to be enhanced as he tried to pry the scythes away. It started to rumble again, this time much closer than before.

'It'll kill us all, human!' Firzé hissed, trying now to strangle Bill using the blunt side of his scythes.

Bill gagged at the lack of air, but he got another idea. He started to thrash his legs up and down, kicking the ground so it would help Onix to detect where he was.

"H…he..elp," he weakly coughed, trying to now push away the scythes so he could breathe. The other Scyther mumbled worriedly to each other, looking at their surroundings just as carefully as Firzé did.

A huge rock snake then burst out not far from them. Most of the Scyther screamed and yelped in fear when they saw the huge rock snake.

Bill smiled inwardly, but he became worried when he saw Jonathan's shit scared face expression.

Firzé, however, let him go. 'You can't run anyway,' he muttered. Bill felt a little relieved when he could fully breathe normally again, but still coughed a little.

'And WHAT are you doing here,' Onix bellowed at the Scyther. They all shivered, and Bill wondered why.

When Onix didn't get an answer, it slithered up to the group of Scyther at a steady pace. They were all frozen in place, and three of them ended up trapped in its coils.

Firzé charged at Onix, and tried to slash it. But Firzé's blade just bounced off its rock hard hide. Onix bent down, picking up a rock in its mouth and chucked it right at the leader Scyther. Firzé actually yelped in pain this time.

'Get that snake!' Firzé commanded his remaining comrades. Sharp and Lozi let go of the two boys and charged at the Onix, but their attacks didn't do anything either to it.

'You and I will have a chat after this, human!' Onix bellowed at Bill as it smashed away some Scyther in the progress.

Firzé shot Bill a deadly glare, and it stayed fixated at him for a few seconds.

'You… you made a pact with this accursed snake so you'd see the last of you. I'll TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!' he roared as he ran at Bill. There was something in Firzé's glare that scared the shit out of Bill, it was enough for him to do only one thing. To run.

"Onix!" he yelled while he ran, "protect the humans!" He hoped that the rock snake would do that to a degree, as it wanted to be interpreted as peaceful. The events with Firzé had disturbed it, and it had been fed up with all the screaming once again.

Bill was actually surprised when he realised that Firzé hadn't caught up with him yet. The leader Scyther had probably been badly hurt by that rock which had been thrown on him. Maybe that was the weakness Hugh knew about?

Bill tripped on a loose rock and fell head over heels to the ground. He quickly scrambled to his feet, but Firzé had already dived at him. The Scyther landed right at him, but Bill managed to grab the upper arms on both scythes, and they were wrestling and rolling around the surface.

"How can you be a leader? Just one rock and you go for me," Bill growled while he tried to gain the upper hand.

'You're all the same! Going for weaknesses!' Firzé snapped back, trying the same.

Firzé managed to knock Bill off him and sent him rolling a distance, but Bill disappeared after that, screaming. Firzé carefully advanced forward to see that Bill was hanging at a ledge, and below him was infinite darkness.

Firzé slowly started to smile insanely, getting down to his knees to look Bill in the eyes.

'I guess I win after all,' he proclaimed, crouching slightly to meet Bill's eye level. 'All I have to do is to make you let go so you'll fall to your demise. And when you're at the bottom, we'll feast on you there.'

Bill grunted and tried to heave himself up, but couldn't. His arms had gotten tired after the fight and he just couldn't get up. Firzé leered as he moved his scythe so it touché Bill's hand.

'LEADER!' a Scyther yelled in distance, wanting Firzé to assist them against the Onix. But Firzé ignored the call.

Firzé slid his scythe under one of Bill's fingers, forcing him to let go. 'There goes one,' mumbled Firzé with a chuckle. He then forced Bill to let go with another finger so he was hanging onto the ledge with only two fingers.

'LEADEEER!' screamed yet another Scyther from where the battle against Onix was held. But Firzé completely ignored the distress call.

"Your… swarm is… is calling, sh…shouldn't you… h…help them?" Bill managed to stutter while he tried hanging on for dear life.

Firzé ignored that too; he just stared at Bill with that insane smile. 'Don't look down,' he just said, about to force another one of Bill's fingers to let go. But Bill did the mistake by looking down. Seeing the pitch black abyss below him made him freak out.

That sudden surprise was all it took for Bill to let go off the ledge in fear. Realizing his mistake, he screamed all the way. His screams didn't end until the muffled sound of impact was heard.

'Goodbye, you pest,' Firzé laughed after he had heard the scream end. The laugh slowly died out, fading into random breaths.

'FIRZÉE-AACK!' a Scyther screamed again, being abruptly cut off. Firzé then snapped out of his glory, which instantly turned into fear and worry. He stood completely still, shifting his gaze towards the abyss and the direction the scream had come from.

'M-my swarm…' he muttered. A few seconds later, he dashed off to help his swarm.

_**To be continued…**_

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Translation

"AJ, FAN!" – OW, DAMN!

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Okay, that was just pure stupid of me. I need to stop with these stupid cliff-hangers… oh well… I'll be going to Morocco next week, so it'll probably take some time before I can update. 


	24. The Settlement of the Bugs

_**Chapter 23**_

Well, blah blah… I reached 3000+ hits, so I guess I should be happy. 1000+ hits on the first chapter though… whee. Enjoy the chapter!

'Your interference is over, dirtbag, live with it' – ???

"**_The Settlement of the Bugs"_**

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Bill slowly opened his eyes; it seemed that he had survived the fall. He weakly looked around himself, but a sudden pain flared up in his back and legs when he moved. He groaned.

'Oh, you're awake!' someone called. The voice didn't seem to belong to any Scyther; it was deeper, and a little bit hoarse. Bill tried looking at the direction the voice had come from by using his eyes, but he wasn't used by the darkness yet.

Bill then moved his hands, which seemed to be healthy, to check if anything was broken.

'Don't move, you'll hurt yourself,' someone told him. Bill did so, and then saw a round, rock-like creature with a face and a pair of arms. He recalled it as a Geodude.

The rock Pokémon carefully grabbed his arms and placed them where they first were, and then grabbed Bill's chin lightly, checking him.

'It's a wonder that nothing's broken, human, and that you're even alive,' the Geodude then said, letting go of the chin.

"Man," Bill groaned, "for how long have I been here?"

Geodude put its hand on the lower part of the body, as if rubbing its chin.

'Not very long, really, about fifteen minutes or so.'

"What?" Bill croaked, trying to sit up. The pain once again flared up in his back again and he yelped. Geodude put its hands Bill to hold him to the ground, and hushed him.

'Calm down, you're still weak after the fall!'

"But my friends!" Bill protested, thinking of Jonathan and Hugh, "The Scyther will kill them!"

Geodude sighed. 'Human, your friends should worry more about Onix. And besides, you'll need rest for now. We'll take good care of you.'

"We?" inquired Bill.

'Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that I wasn't the one who found you. You should thank the Paras over there.' It pointed with its thumb over its shoulder (or the part between its arms and head). 'It seem to know who you are, and yes, it told me that you can fully understand me for a reason.'

Bill shuddered lightly, he didn't know if that Paras were intended on attacking him after what he did to it not long ago.

'Don't worry, it's not angry with you,' Geodude assured.

'Hey, human,' a voice from Bill's other side said suddenly. If Bill hadn't been lying down, he'd have jumped in surprise.

"Where did you come from?" he weakly exclaimed, trying to edge away from the mushroom Pokémon. He was still not used to the darkness

'Don't be scared, I don't wish you any harm.'

"Oh yeah? I ticked you off and got my friend to attack you, and then I burned you, so why wouldn't you?"

Paras was silent for awhile, looking slightly away from Bill.

'I'm sorry,' it lowly said. 'If I had showed some bravery, this wouldn't have happened,' it said with self-hatred.

"What do you mean?" asked Bill, feeling lost in the dark.

'The Scyther,' Paras said, looking at him, 'they forced us, they forced me to cooperate in their plan of killing you. They threatened to kill me if we didn't. Our task was to identify you, which was by seeing if you knew any so-called "fancy tricks with fire" and being able to converse with us. When we had done that, we'd point to the direction they left off.' It sighed and turned away in shame.

"So you were like a sentry of sort?" assumed Bill.

'Yeah,' replied Paras, back still turned, 'If I just had used some Spores at them, sacrificing myself for my brethren.' It rammed its claw at the rocky ground in anger, and sighed.

"You little bitch!" Bill growled, trying once again to get to his feet. However, Geodude held him tightly.

'Calm down!' it scolded. Bill scoffed and glanced at the rock Pokémon.

'What do they want from you, human?' Paras asked.

"They want me dead! They're just a race of bloodthirsty bastards!" he snarled.

'You must've done something to them,' Paras retaliated, turning to Bill, 'They would never think of entering this place for the simple reason of killing you.'

"It's between them and me! And that's it!" Bill finished, not wanting to talk about it anymore. He turned to Geodude, "How far is from where I fell down?"

'I believe it's quite the distance. While it isn't much of a problem for to scale, it'll pose a bigger for you in your current state.'

Bill rolled his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. He suddenly thought of something.

"If I'm staring at the ceiling, how come I fell down through it?" he wondered out loud.

Geodude sighed and put its hand on its head. 'Maybe because we dragged you from the ledge you landed on and put you here so you wouldn't risk rolling over and falling down to your demise,' it explained in one breath. Bill responded by nodding.

Bill put his hands under his head as he lay down. He still found it uncomfortable lying on the rocky ground, though. He wondered how Jonathan was doing up there, and if Onix had managed to hold off the Scyther. The pain in his chest had gone away, but there was still the blackish X on it. He cursed Firzé inwardly for ruining his new clothes in such short time.

He tried to sit up again, only resulting him to groan due to the pain. Geodude put its hand at Bill's chest, forcing him to stay down.

"Can't you at least help me sit against a wall or something?" he requested. Geodude rolled its eyes and hopped behind Bill's head. It then carefully lifted him up and dragged him towards the closest wall. "Thanks," he muttered.

'You're welcome,' replied Geodude.

Now that he was sitting up, he put his hands on his legs to feel if they were sore. They weren't, amazingly. He then put his hands behind his back, stretching it carefully. A loud crack was heard inside him and he moaned, it hurt again, but it was as much as it had before.

"Do you think Onix is able to fend of the Scyther, Paras?" asked Bill, looking at the Pokémon. Paras looked at him oddly before answering.

'I don't know, they're many,' it just said.

'I'm positive of that he will. Onix may be on himself, but he, as well as me, is very talented on taking down Pokémon like Scyther. They can't slash through our hides, and our rocky features are fatal for their carapaces,' Geodude informed rather wisely.

"Wow, you know a lot," Bill commended.

'I've been through a lot,' Geodude replied. 'But you should worry more about your friends, Onix doesn't take it too kindly when someone wakes him up at wrong hours.'

"I got him on my side, so I won't worry about that."

Geodude looked at Bill for a second, and then grabbed him by the collar with its stony hands.

'How come you know that? You talked to him?' it asked him angrily. 'He's a mentally ill Onix, and would therefore kill you if it was you who woke him up!'

Bill tried to pry off the grip, but to no avail. "Chill out, he's a nice guy. He just wants some peace."

Geodude shook him violently before replying. 'That's what he says, but he is a psychotic!'

"Why not just do what he says then?" he countered. Geodude answered with a rock hard punch in his face, causing his head to whip into the wall.

'You're suggesting that I should listen to an outsider? He doesn't belong here, he took my home!'

"Look, Geodude, I already have enough enemies during my stay here, and I don't want any new ones. My head," he groaned, rubbing his head.

Geodude let go of Bill, turning its back towards him. 'We won't meet again anyway, so I guess it's better if I just help you out of here as soon as possible,' it muttered, sighing afterwards.

"Why are you helping me anyway?" asked Bill.

'If any human dies in this cave, we are the ones who pay the consequences.'

"But there were Scyther in here!" Bill countered, "You can blame them!"

Geodude turned to face Bill again, it was about to speak when it as interrupted by Paras who had a very distressed look on its face.

'A Scyther's coming!' it squeaked. It looked back and forth frantically, not knowing what to do.

"Great," Bill muttered sarcastically, "speak of the devil." He began to shudder, he was defenceless in his current state. It was probably over now. He felt a tiny claw nudge his shoulder. He flinched at first, thinking that the Scyther already had arrived. It was Paras, with a more determined look on its face.

'Fear not, human, it's just one this time. And this time I'll stop it,' it firmly said. It turned around and ran off to where the Scyther was.

Bill tried to stand up, but Geodude grabbed hold of one of his arms. 'You can't run away, especially at your state. Plus, you'll just get lost.'

Bill sighed and folded his arms after the rock Pokémon had let go of one of them. He heard a conversation from afar. 'I know that the human is nearby, his scent is sharp.'

'Go away, Scyther, he isn't here!' That voice was probably Paras, and the other's was the Scyther's.

'Don't make it harder for yourself. Just step aside,' the Scyther commanded.

'I won't do what you tell me to this time!' cried Paras defiantly. Bill heard a faint sound of buzzing from the direction. Since he knew that Paras was able to use sleep affecting spores, the Scyther must've known that and was beating its wings to blow them back. Next thing Bill heard was something being powerfully stricken followed up with something hitting the rock wall.

The sound of a steady pace was getting clearer. Bill was pretty sure that it was the Scyther which was approaching, as a Pokémon like Paras usually scampered on all fours. He could slowly discern a Scyther coming out of the darkness, eyeing him sharply.

'As I suspected.' Bill recognized the voice as female, since he had learned to hear the difference when he was in the forest. 'You survived,' she finished, approaching Bill while sharpening her blades.

Bill's fear washed over his whole body, and he was shaking. He was too weak to defend himself, and he assumed that the swarm had won over Onix. His fate was probably sealed now.

Geodude jumped in front of Bill and clenched its stony fists as it faced the Scyther.

'Stay away!' it threatened the bug, 'or you'll find your precious armour cracked!'

The Scyther wasn't fazed at all by that comment. Geodude snarled and attempted a punch which the bug deflected using her blade. She then swiftly swatted the rock Pokémon, sending it skidding a short distance.

'Just,' she started, inhaling deeply, 'let me talk to the human.' She turned to Bill and stared at him. She had a scar across her face which was pretty fresh, but Bill didn't know who it was.

"I guess you won after all," he lowly said while shuddering. "Amber, I presume?" he then guessed.

The Scyther sighed. 'First off, I'm Vanilla, secondly, look at me when I'm talking to you!' she snapped instantly after Bill had spoken.

Bill immediately looked up at her, and saw her lowering her blades.

'It's funny that you and I would meet like this, out of earshot from the rest of the swarm,' she said, not taking her stare from Bill's.

"Just get on with it!" Bill urged, actually wanting her to take his life.

Vanilla clicked her tongue before speaking. 'Now, now, that's not the sound of the ferocious fighter I saw before. You sound like Plum did before I killed him.'

Bill's frightened stare briefly turned into a glare. Vanilla waved one of her scythes to hint him to calm down.

'Don't give me that look, human. It was quick and painless,' she snapped.

"He must've hated me for letting him die like that," muttered Bill, trying to look away. Vanilla followed his stare intensively.

'Amazingly enough, he didn't. I've never seen a Scyther die as happy as him,' she softly told him. Seeing him confused, she continued. 'He dreamt too much of returning to Johto, you see. It would never happen, even if you hadn't escaped that night. The Johto swarm doesn't want anything to do with him anymore.'

It became quiet after that. Geodude was slowly getting up, and was about to charge at Vanilla when Bill signalled it to stay back in case Vanilla would threaten to kill him if it did.

Vanilla leaned forward and suddenly licked Bill's cheek. Bill flinched and looked surprised at the Scyther.

"What was that for?" he asked.

'Plum wanted me to give that to you before he passed away. Pretty touchy, if you ask me.' She grinned while Bill wiped off the saliva from his cheek.

"But why?" he wondered, "It's because of me he died, why would he-"

Vanilla raised one of her scythes, which made Bill stop talking. 'I wondered the same thing at first,' she interrupted, 'but then it came to me that he was under constant pressure under Firzé. Thanks to you, Plum got to know why he couldn't return to Johto, he should've died during to Battle of Ilex.'

"But how did he get to know that he couldn't return?" asked Bill right after.

'I told him,' she promptly replied. She took a deep breath. 'You see, Sharp and I was sent out to kill Plum, but the poor fellow did fight well against Sharp, even though he lost. We then sensed a human in the vicinity, so Sharp took off to scare the human away. I then talked to Plum and we agreed that I'd quickly slit his throat before Sharp returned. He would've done the opposite.'

She pointed at the scar across her face.

'He wasn't exactly happy when he returned. He made it clear that he wanted to end Plum's life, and this happened. He forced me to tell Firzé that Plum had done it; if I had told him otherwise, Sharp would've revealed what I had done.'

"Firzé is just a fucking psycho!" snapped Bill. He never liked the f-word; he always found it so vulgar all the time.

Vanilla, however, lashed out with one of her scythes, stopping dangerously close Bill's chin. 'How dare you call him that, huh? He is the perfect materiel for a leader.' Bill looked at her with disbelief. 'He's very noble, and cares for his swarm. You see these cracks over my body?" She pointed at herself, "I was close to being crushed by that snake, but he saved me, he saved all of us."

"So you beat Onix?" asked Bill, now terrified.

'Let me come to that later,' she interjected. 'Firzé is a nice individual, but the last days he has been tense, worked up and extremely easy to make angry. He has a heart of gold, human, there is no denying that!' she claimed. She kept a very stern gaze at him, as if to make clear that she was telling the truth.

"What about Plum then?" he asked slyly. Vanilla pushed the scythe against his chin, almost making it bleed.

'Plum did many bad things to Firzé back in Johto some claims, but it's none of your business!' she hissed.

Bill swallowed and took a deep breath. "So, about Onix, what happened?"

'Both parts were injured, so we called it a tie, and we had an agreement. We would leave this cave if we could check if you're dead or not. I was the only one whose wings worked for flight after the battle, so I was sent down. And seeing that you're dead, I will fly up and report that to Firzé.'

Bill almost coughed in surprise; what was Vanilla talking about him being dead. Firzé wanted him dead at all costs, so why wouldn't Vanilla just fulfil his wish?

"What do you mean?"

Vanilla took a step away from Bill, lowering her scythes. 'You see, Firzé feels ashamed of that he put his swarm in jeopardy like that. He even attempted to starve himself just to get a taste of you. I will leave you now; I will tell them that you're body hit the rock bottom, splattered all over the place. And then, we will depart to the forest. Hopefully we will never meet again.'

"You're willing to lie to your leader?"

'Everybody wins, human, Firzé will get satisfied, and you will live. I take it for granted that we never hear from you after this event, if that happens hell will break loose.' She turned her back against him, starting to walk away. 'Goodbye, human, and may we never meet again.'

"Bye then, Vanilla," he replied, "and thanks, I guess."

She didn't reply, she spread out her wings and flew away, the buzzing sound getting fainter for every second. Bill was free from the Scyther at last, free. He began to think about what Vanilla had said about Firzé, though, that he wasn't just a ruthless killer who wanted his blood. He thought back at the moment when he met the dark green Scyther in the woods when he first came to this world. If he just had been nicer, and showed some respect. He wished that he didn't even re-enter the forest in the night.

He thought about his stop watch, but it could only _stop_ time, not _reverse_ it. If he ever tried that, he could mess up time real bad. He thought about his mission: to stop this person he hadn't even met. It felt hopeless; he even wondered if he should journey on himself instead of journeying with Jonathan.

"Shit!" he suddenly burst out. Geodude jumped in astonishment and hopped over to Bill.

'Keep it down! Those Scyther are probably within hearing range,' it warned him.

"I doubt it, they would've seen through Vanilla then. I… eh…" Bill tried to come up with an excuse for suddenly shouting. "I thought my watch had broken, which it hadn't." A mental pat on his back, as Geodude bought the lie.

What made Bill shout all of a sudden was the fact that Jonathan and Hugh knew what he was. Of course he could use a Blackout Blast on them, but chances were that they could have their Pokémon out, who could attack him while he executed the mind blasting attack. He didn't want to end up as a highly sought Pokémon in such short time, like the girl did.

Oh, yeah, the girl. Bill wondered where she was. Look in restricted areas, as the old one said. Chances were probably that she had found peace somewhere and resided there.

How much longer would he have to stay? Would Onix go after him, did he even know where he was located? He was answered with a familiar rumble, and Geodude shuddered.

'_Great, even when you think of the devil, he shows up!'_ he thought, hearing the rumble clearer and clearer.

Onix soon arrived to where Bill was. He didn't look very happy, though. They stared at each other, Bill being the most scared.

'One of the bugs told me you were still alive,' he muttered. 'Your friends are okay, by the way.'

"Well, that's kinda good," replied Bill, trying to smile. Onix lowered his head, looking straight into his eyes.

'But we're not finished yet, you and I!' he growled, closing in to Bill. 'I gave you permission to call after your friends, but you still screamed about after you had found them.'

"But I was attacked by that Scyther swarm!" Bill protested. Onix ignored that.

'So, what? I overheard some of their conversations, and it seems that you've humiliated them. Even though I recent types other than rock and ground Pokémon coming in here, making a racket off a noise, I still find no reason for you to scream around!' he bellowed, moving up to trap Bill in his stony coils.

Geodude hopped in front of Bill in a defence position. 'This human has had enough! Look at his chest!' the rock Pokémon pointed at Bill's chest, where the black X cuts where. Onix just scoffed.

'Nothing seriously,' he muttered. Bill almost lost his breath in shock. His wounds were nothing serious? 'Take a look at this instead,' the rock snake then growled, turning his back towards the two. A big, wicked looking scar ran along his back, most of the blood had coagulated. 'The leader bastard managed to dig his claw in my crack.'

"Whoa…" Bill said in awe, "that gotta hurt."

'Of course it hurts, you stupid human!' roared Onix, turning to face them again. 'If it hadn't been for your friends, I'd have lost. It turned out to be a tie, fortunately.'

"Hell yeah, it's fortunate, Onix!" Bill snapped suddenly, "Now that the leader of them thinks I'm dead, they won't bother trying to kill me. They won't come into this cave anymore," he assured.

Onix tilted his head, seeming to smile faintly. 'Interesting… so that's the reason the Scyther lied to her leader. You shouldn't waste a chance like this human, this is a new chance for your life. I hope you're ready for me to take you up, because this is the last time I help you out.'

Bill looked at Geodude, who nodded. Bill did the same to Onix.

'Then climb up my back, but be careful,' he told him lowly, bowing down so Bill could climb up.

When he sat on the rock snake's back, he made sure he had a firm grip. He didn't want to risk falling off and tumbling down the depths of that cliff he had fallen down in. "Thanks, Geodude," he thanked, "thank Paras for me too," he added. After that, Onix took him through where he had come in from, and soon, they were both at the edge from which Bill had fallen off from.

Bill took the hint and leaped to the ground, and he turned to Onix.

'Don't waste this chance, human,' he said before going back down the depths.

"I'll do my best!" Bill called back, getting no reply. He sighed and stretched his arms. _'I'm glad that's over with… pretty nice now that I don't have to worry about those Scyther anymore…'_ he thought, knowing that his journey had overcome a tedious obstacle.

He heard a pair of running steps approach him. He turned to face to the direction it came from. It was Jonathan, followed up with Hugh.

"Bill? What in the name of Lugia? You didn't die?" Jonathan asked frantically, panting. He looked rather worn out, as if he had had a battle before.

"The swarm is long gone, and I doubt they'll return," informed Hugh, "but how did you get up? You couldn't have gotten up by yourself?"

Bill took a deep breath, wondering if he should answer or not. "Onix helped me, he's a nice guy," he just said.

Hugh looked at him suspiciously, and noticed the black X on his shirt. "Holy mother of… is that blood? Wait a minute… you're a Pokémon, aren't you?" he then guessed, slowly moving his hand to get hold a pokéball.

Bill stepped back, careful enough not to fall down again. "Eh, what makes you think of that, Hugh?"

Jonathan reached for a pokéball as well. "You know, you _did_ get trapped in a pokéball before, and-"

"You'll make a great team member in my Pokémon team," Hugh interjected, now holding a pokéball firmly in his hand. Bill knew what he had to do, he had enough energy to do it. He secretly charged up a double sample of his Blackout Blast attack.

"Your team?" Jonathan snapped at the other boy, "I know him the most!"

"You don't know your way out, plus, I need to turn him in for what happened in Pewter," countered the rock Pokémon trainer.

"It's because of him that two of my Pokémon got killed and eaten by those Scyther! He'll make a good replacement for those two!" argued Jonathan.

"I can't let you know," said Bill, making the other teens turn to look at him. Bill had both of his arms towards the two, pointing at them with his index, and middle fingers as if they were guns. A black, round aura surrounded his hands. "It's for your own good, Jon," he finished, seeing the now terrified teens gaping at him.

"Bill, you wouldn't-"

He let loose of the two blasts at the teens. The projectiles were too fast for the two to dodge, and they were hit. They were flung into a wall, and lost consciousness.

"Oh crap," muttered Bill, he didn't know the blast was _that_ powerful. He shrugged, he had been told that the attack could cause unconsciousness for a while. He did have some time to rest for a while.

He looked at Jonathan's hand, the pokéball still in his grasp. But now that he was unconscious, the pokéball slowly rolled out of his grasp. It turned out that it wasn't empty, when it hit the rocky ground, it split open, revealing a familiar grass Pokémon.

Ivysaur.

'Don't worry, Jonny, I'll take these dirtbag Scyther down!' he snarled, looking fiercely around himself. He had various scars on his body, and one of the petals on his back was torn. 'Huh? Jonny, if there weren't any-' He jumped in fright when he saw his trainer lying unconscious on the rocky ground. 'Jonny, buddy, what happened to you, who did this?' he frantically asked him. When he turned to see if he could spot the possible attacker, he saw Bill.

"Those nasty Scyther did it," he said, making an excuse, "don't do anything rash."

'You… it's all your fault!' the grass Pokémon growled, sending some of his green vines towards Bill.

Bill tried to dodge some of them, but failed as his arms got trapped first, and then his legs.

'The Scyther told me during the battle, that you're not human. I knew you were bad news all the time, you dirtbag!' he tightened the grip on Bill's arms, as he tried to wiggle himself free.

"Ivysaur, you don't want to do this! Let go of me!" demanded Bill.

'I don't think so, I let go when my trainer tells me to, and you won't get away from him this time. I'd love to see you captured, hopefully more that you'll get sent away to some lab where you will undergo various experiments.'

"You evil flower bastard," Bill snapped, trying to break free. That only caused Ivysaur to tighten his grip even more.

'You pose a big threat for Jonny, and as his loyal protector, I can't allow that.' upon hearing that, Bill calmed down, probably because he was too weak to break free. 'Now that's a good boy,' commended the Pokémon, patting Bill's cheek with his vine.

"I can use fire, you know, I'll burn you if you don't let me go," Bill threatened lowly. Ivysaur chuckled, keeping his stare at him.

'Oh please, you're not scaring me. Even if you could, how would you explain the sudden burning marks on me? Your interference is over, dirtbag, live with it.'

Bill felt his confidence hit the bottom level. Ivysaur was right, and there was probably nothing for him to do right now.

He sighed.

_**To be continued...**_

* * *

Well, I've been rather lazy… but I've started a new story which is based on the Mystery Dungeon series. I promised myself that I wouldn't start multiple stories… but I guess I needed some variation after all.

Anyway, I hoped you like the chapter, and I really hope you review!


	25. Cerulean Arrival

_**Chapter 24**_

It's been a long time, I know, but I've been lazy. I'm pretty happy that I for once got an honest review that pointed out the bad parts of the story. Poor Bill could need a break…

Well, I hope this chapter will be a little better, seeing as it is a new year and all. Though, sorry for the inconvenience, as I accidentally deleted the new chapter intead of replacing it... memo to self... no submitting after midnight... sorry...

"That was priceless!" - Jonathan Huntley

* * *

"**_Cerulean Arrival"_**

Bill had been quiet for about ten minutes, and those ten minutes were long and boring. Jonathan and Hugh were still unconscious, but if they woke up and saw Bill like this, they'd remember him as a Pokémon. He looked at Ivysaur, who calmly sat down in front him. The grass Pokémon was still keeping a tight grip around him with his vines.

"Ivysaur," he started. The Pokémon tightened the grip immediately in surprise. He then loosened the grip slightly. "Why do you have to be this to me?" he asked.

'What do you mean?' replied Ivysaur.

"You always used your vines to whip me every opportunity!"

Ivysaur chuckled. 'You've made your own bed, and you got to lie in it as well. A fine warrior was killed because of you. Never have I heard a Caterpie do so well against a Scyther. My trainer told me, and he never lies.' He used a vine to shed a tear. 'I saw it with my own eyes, and it truly hurt me to witness this fine warrior die on the field.'

If Bill hadn't been tied up and stuck in this situation, he would've chuckled at that. Who did Ivysaur think he was anyway?

"Okay, Ivysaur, this is getting too far. What the hell do you want?" he angrily asked.

'I want you to get away from my trainer,' Ivysaur coldly replied, walking closer to him. 'You know, I heard of your little weakness for dark attacks,' he said smugly, 'and that wound is surely a pressure point.'

Bill felt nervous, and broke a cold sweat. He knew it would hurt like hell if Ivysaur whipped his wound, which was on his chest.

Ivysaur let one of his vines strike Bill's chest. He yelped in pain.

"Oh fff… shit that hurt! What was that for?" he whined, hating the fact that he couldn't clutch his chest.

'That was a warning, dirtbag, if you don't cooperate with me,' Ivysaur warned, waving a vine in front of Bill, 'I will strike at the very same spot much harder.'

Bill cringed under the pain, or at least tried to. The only thing he could do to express his pain was to grit his teeth. He had been through this earlier, after the forest events, but when he…

Something clicked inside his head. He got an idea. He knew the effects on the Blackout Blast and how to deal with them properly, and after going through the plan in his head, he knew the odds were with him this time. He concentrated his mind, and focused on being an ordinary human. He felt the pain in his chest fade away, but the grip felt much tighter as he grew weaker.

Ivysaur became curious of what happened. He didn't really know why Bill was glowing faintly white, but it didn't serve as a useful attack anyway. But he seemed to get weaker, much weaker.

"Saur? Ivysa?" the Pokémon asked. Bill grinned.

"Well, it seems I can't understand you, Ivysaur," he stated. Ivysaur chuckled and shook his head.

"Ivy, ivy… sauri ivys," the Pokémon replied.

Now it was Bill's turn to chuckle, he knew he was going to win this time. The only thing that could cause trouble was the blackish X on his shirt, though he could scrape most of the hardened fragments off and blame it being blood. He was interrupted in his thoughts when Ivysaur pulled Bill towards him, thinking that Bill was playing stupid.

"Say whatever you want, weed-head, but you lost this time," Bill said smugly, grinning at the grass Pokémon. Ivysaur stared blankly at him, mouth slightly open. Then he snapped and swung one of his whips powerfully towards Bill's face.

He was struck hard across the face, and it felt like his skin was torn up after the blow. In any case, it hurt like hell. He screamed in pain; it hurt almost as much as the first whip to the chest, since he was weaker now. Ivysaur didn't stop at that and proceeded to whip him more, going mainly for the chest.

Bill tried to break free from the hold so he could defend himself from those nasty vines, but it was hopeless. He took each painful hit after another, gritting his teeth. And to top it off, his eyes felt teary due to all the pain.

"Ivysaur, what the hell are you doing?" someone yelled. Bill recognized the voice as Jonathan's and saw him groggily getting up. Ivysaur had stopped his assault and stared at his trainer. Jonathan quickly picked up Ivysaur's pokéball and recalled him instantly. "Oh, crap! Bill, you okay?" he then asked.

Bill didn't answer; he was clutching his arms and chest, looking down. He slowly stood up and turned his back towards Jonathan. He promptly scraped off the blackish fragments on his shirt and ran his bloodstained left hand on it to cover the rest. He then turned back to Jonathan, whose arm was bandaged.

"Your Ivysaur is bloody psycho!" he yelled, causing Hugh to wake up shortly after. "He blames me for the death of Metapod and Pidgey, and started whipping me!"

Jonathan looked at him blankly, and then put his hand on his forehead as if having a headache. "Man, sorry about that, but what the heck happened?" he asked, trying to stand upright.

"Did somebody get the number on that Onix?" groaned Hugh, rubbing his head.

Bill ignored him and was about to explain to Jonathan what had "happened" when Jonathan's pokéball started to wiggle and Ivysaur popped out again. Bill backed away.

"Ivy, ivy, ivy! Saurivy ivysaur!" the Pokémon barked, glaring at Bill. Jonathan tried to calm him down.

"What's the matter, Ivysaur? Calm down!" Ivysaur ignored him and snatched a pokéball from Jonathan's belt, tossing it right at Bill.

Bill braced himself; this was it, and since he was in human status this time, the pokéball shouldn't catch him. The red and white metal ball hit his forehead, and bounded off like a tennis ball.

"Ow! Damn!" he cursed, rubbing his forehead. "That's gonna leave a mark!"

"Ivysaur!" Jonathan yelled to his Pokémon. "Why did you do that? You almost killed him already, now get back in your pokéball!" he then grumbled, aiming his pokéball so he could recall Ivysaur. The Pokémon dodged once, refusing to be recalled. "Damn it, you've completely lost it!"

Ivysaur looked at his trainer as if he didn't believe what he heard. He slowly shook his head, looking down. Shortly after that he was hit by the red light, being sucked into the pokéball. Jonathan quickly put the pokéball in his backpack in case Ivysaur would break out again.

"He's probably blaming me for Metapod and Pidgey's death," Bill muttered. Jonathan looked at him, his eyes showing a sad expression.

"Oh yeah," he stuttered, holding back tears, "how could I forget them?" He pressed his index finger and thumb into his shut eyes, holding his tears back by force.

"They killed them because they wanted you, right?" Hugh asked.

Bill bit his lip lightly, knowing that Hugh was putting the pieces together. The effects of the Blackout Blast were not only erasing memory of him being Pokémon, it was also the ability to manipulate the minds afterwards for a short time. And Bill hoped that this short time wouldn't be too short.

"Yeah," Bill then muttered, scratching the back of his neck, "but that's probably because of the forest encounter Jon and I had with that Scyther before." He looked at Jonathan, "You know, Caterpie almost won over that Scyther, and maybe that's why it wanted him dead."

Jonathan sniffed once, still having his eyes closed. "Yep," he simply answered.

"Wait a minute!" objected Hugh, "they were after you! They wouldn't go through Pewter and inside a cave with many rock Pokémon just to silence a mere Caterpie!"

"Okay, okay, I'll make it short for you then. I insulted it, beat it in a footrace out of the forest and finally had Jon beat it two days after!" Bill explained, glaring at Hugh.

"If so," Hugh countered, "why did they just leave? The one you insulted wouldn't be satisfied with just one or two cuts," he said, referring to Bill's shirt. Bill scratched his neck a little harder while getting more nervous, and scratched at a sore spot where Firzé had bit down earlier. He flinched. "Now I remember!" Hugh suddenly burst out. Bill stepped back once. "They attacked Pewter, and I was sent to get you back!"

"You want to know what happened?" Bill asked, trying to stay calm and focused. "Onix came up and got mad at the Scyther, blaming them for waking it up. It, alone, beat those Scyther, and I guess that rock is their weakness." Hugh nodded. "Onix is kinda nice, it helped me out. It made it look like I was dead, which was why the Scyther left, they think that I'm dead, and they will not bother me, nor will they come close to Pewter again."

Bill paused, hoping that both Hugh and Jonathan would buy this. He hoped that he still was available to manipulate the memories inside Mt Moon.

"So that's what happened…" both Jonathan and Hugh said in unison. "Man… my head," Hugh then muttered.

"Oh yeah, Onix accidentally knocked you two into that wall," Bill added. He was pretty sure that he had covered most parts now.

"But, I still need to bring you back to Pewter," Hugh repeated.

"Look, I've had a bad day, and I don't really think it'd help you making it any worse. Come on now, Hugh, I can assure you that those Scyther won't come close to Pewter anymore. They're finished with me, I promise."

"Really?" Hugh doubtfully asked.

"They won't go near Pewter!" Bill repeated. Hugh rolled his eyes. "And besides, isn't it closer to Culian City than it is to Pewter?" he then presumed.

"It could be closer to Cerulean City from here, but you still need me to guide you out and therefore it'd be wisest of you came with me." Hugh crossed his arms, smirking.

Bill sighed, looking slightly down. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?" he muttered.

"That's an incredibly stupid idea, Hugh," said Jonathan, who had calmed down a bit. "If you bring Bill back to Pewter, he'll be closer to those Scyther, and that would risk him and/or Pewter being attacked."

"Bill just said that they wouldn't attack anymore, and if they would he'd only have more questions to answer," Hugh calmly countered.

"Put it this way; the further away he is from them, the better. And now it's him and me against you, Hugh, so just lead us to the main path so we can proceed to Cerulean," Jonathan shot back. Hugh looked at him briefly, and then at Bill.

"Seems fair enough," he muttered, "but all right, I'll do it."

Bill and Jonathan picked up their backpacks, which amazingly where in one piece, and Hugh took the lead, holding a flashlight in his hand.

-----

After bit of walking, they had reached the lit up area of Mt Moon.

"Well," started Hugh, drawing a deep breath, "and the way to Cerulean is over there."

Jonathan nodded. "Thanks, then I guess we part ways here, Hugh."

The two were about to leave when Hugh spoke up again.

"Hey, Bill," he called. Bill turned to face him. "One more Scyther inside Pewter again, and you know what's gonna happen. My bro was about to start his journey in a week, but he got scared after that attack thanks to those Scyther." He stared at Bill, and then turned his back towards him. "Good bye." He walked away.

Bill shrugged. He knew that the Scyther wouldn't go near Pewter again, as there would be no reason to. Soon he'd be out of Mt Moon, he was finished with the Scyther swarm, and he was free of any suspicions about him being a Pokémon. Things were finally looking up for him.

"So, Jon, what an adventure that was, eh?" Bill then said. Jonathan looked at him.

"You know, Bill," he started, "I really want to forget that adventure. I lost Metapod and Pidgey, damnit!" He clenched his fists, looking down. "But I guess that's stuff that happens… I should focus more on the training," he muttered.

Bill looked at his friend and put his hand at his shoulder. Jonathan didn't react that much; he sighed.

They followed the lit up path to Cerulean.

-----

"Whoa, Cerulean looks awesome!" Bill exclaimed when he passed the city walls. After a long, tedious, silent walking tour out of Mt Moon and through Route 4, they had finally reached Cerulean City.

The city itself had a very fresh look compared to Pewter. The majority of the houses had a sky and sea bluish colour on them, and it looked livelier than Pewter. The various blue colours on the houses reflected the light from the setting sun in a way which could almost be best described as tropical. The beautiful colours made Bill feel more cheery and energetic.

Jonathan was still as down as ever. He just looked down. "Let's go to the centre, I can see it from here." He looked up and nodded to the direction towards he was about to walk. Bill followed.

"Still down, eh?" asked Bill. Jonathan shot him a penetrating glare.

"Yes, damnit! I'm tired of everything related to bugs, blades and death, really. I _am_ aware of that you probably feel the same, but _you_ don't have a trainer's card of which you need to update every time you visit a PokéCentre. And I do _not_ want to be reminded of that that they will ask me various questions about why I'm suddenly missing two Pokémon!" he almost yelled out in one long sentence, emphasizing most of the words.

"Whoa, whoa, man! Take it easy!" Bill shot back, backing away.

Jonathan sighed and proceeded towards the centre. Bill followed right after.

When they entered the PokéCentre, they first thing they saw was the cheery nurse Joy. Bill figured by now that this would get rather repetitive in the future, seeing all of those identical nurses. Jonathan seemed to get a little cheered up though. And as usual, other people stared at the two curiously. Bill couldn't blame them; he'd been staring as well if one with a ripped shirt, and the other with a bandaged arm came in.

"Hello," the nurse greeted Jonathan in her usual cheery voice. Bill wondered if the nurse was aware at all about his and Jonathan's conditions. He shrugged; he figured that it must've been just another day at work.

"First I'd like to turn in my Pokémon for healing, Mt Moon was pretty tough," Jonathan said as he picked up his pokéballs from his belt, as well as the one he had in his back pack, and handed them to the nurse. "Also, I'd like to update my trainer card, please," he added as he picked up a card that looked like a credit card, but bigger. Bill casually walked up to him and peeked at the card; it reminded him of an ID card, but other than Jonathan's names and picture, there were images of his Pokémon as well.

Jonathan gave her the card and she put it into a machine which registered it. The nurse looked at the computer for awhile before turning to Jonathan. "Mr Huntley?" she started, most of her positive attitude had turned to a more neutral, yet serious one, "there are two Pokémon missing from your belt. Have you made any unofficial trades?" she asked him.

Jonathan twitched slightly before answering. "Well, nurse, there was an incident inside Mt Moon where Metapod and Pidgey, the missing Pokémon, got…" He paused, looking down while scratching the back of his neck. He whimpered a bit while droplets of tears fell down on the floor. He looked up at the nurse. "It's going to take a while to tell you this."

-----

After Jonathan had told the nurse the story how Metapod and Pidgey had parted away – except for some parts about how the Scyther had done it and the fact that the Scyther were after Bill – he asked her for a room at the centre for the night and Bill did the same, except that he had to fork over ten dollars. They left their backpacks in their room and walked out to the lobby.

"C'mon, Bill," Jonathan beckoned Bill as he wiped the last of his tears, "let's go outside."

Bill sighed; he had been looking forward to a nice rest after all this. "But I'm tired, can't we just rest?"

"It'll get dark in a few hours, we can sleep then!" snapped Jonathan, "come on already!"

Bill rolled his eyes as he went after Jonathan, muttering something. But as they went outside, Bill felt much more spirited when he saw the tropical colours of Cerulean. Even though Jonathan had said that it would be dark in a few hours, the sun was not close to setting yet. Bill tapped Jonathan's shoulder impatiently. "Where to?" he asked.

Jonathan shrugged off Bill's hand. "I'm heading towards the gym, where else?"

"Are you already going for another badge?" Bill asked, walking ahead of Jonathan, looking at him. "But you-"

"No, I'm just going to check the gym!" interrupted Jonathan quickly. Bill shook his head and sighed, his tiredness coming back to him. He then resumed to admiring the colours again, trying to stay a little alert. He took off his black baseball cap and scratched his hair.

'_I should've bought a light blue cap instead, this one's getting hot!'_ he thought, looking at the headgear. But he wasn't paying attention, as he was oblivious to the street light he collided with. "Aj, vad fan?" he groaned.

Jonathan laughed at him. "That was priceless!" he said in between his laughs, "the funniest of the week!"

"Whatever!" snapped Bill as he rubbed his forehead. It helped him feel better since that mistake made Jonathan slightly happier. He put on his cap on his head again and proceeded towards the gym.

Short after, they arrived at a big, rather fancy building. It had the usual sky blue colours on the walls, and the slanted roof had that light brick reddish colour that gave the building a more tropical look than most other houses. Over the glass entrance doors were various big images of Pokémon Bill didn't recognize (though he assumed it were water Pokémon due to their resemblance to fish).

"This is the Cerulean City gym, Bill. It's also a well known aquarium in Kanto with many different water Pokémon," Jonathan informed. "Can't believe I'm gonna get my second badge soon," he then mused. "Meh, tomorrow maybe, as long as I get it before Pat it's fine with me."

Bill put the cap on his head and adjusted it before speaking to Jonathan. "So, eh, we're going in?" he asked.

Jonathan turned to Bill, scratching the left of his cheekbone. "Not really, I'm just getting a look at the building. Heard that it was kinda cool from the outside."

Bill put his hands on his hip angrily. "So you just dragged me all the way here just to look at the building?"

"Yep," Jonathan simply answered, grinning. Bill clenched his fists. "But right now I'm feeling a bit hungry. That adventure before sure took a lot of energy."

Bill wondered why Jonathan suddenly became more cheerful all of a sudden. He thought that maybe the cheerful colours of Cerulean finally put an effect on him. Nevertheless, Jonathan was already heading for the nearest place where he could grab a bite, and Bill just followed.

-----

They were both in a small café which was pretty empty with only three other people inside. They had seated themselves by a window and had already bought two sub sandwiches and one bottle of soda each.

"So," started Bill after swallowing a piece of the sandwich, "you think you're up for the badge in this gym?"

"The Cascade badge?" Jonathan replied, "Well, the gym here specializes on Water Pokémon, so Ivysaur should do pretty well. Even though Growlithe is weak against them, I hope he can put up for a fight though. Rattata could do some damage, but I think Growlithe needs some battling anyway." He than took a bite off his sandwich after that.

Bill looked at him impressively. "Whoa, you sure know your stuff," he noted.

Jonathan swallowed quickly before answering. "Y-ep, at least that's what my friends told me. But then, only an idiot would think that he or she would meet no Water Pokémon in a gym which also is an aquarium."

"But why didn't we at least check out the aquarium? I'm a newbie when it comes to Pokémon!" Bill snapped. He quickly regretted what he had said, as he risked blowing his cover.

Jonathan paused eating his sandwich, staring at Bill with his open mouth suspiciously. "Pokémon newbie? Didn't you say you had amnesia?" he asked, keeping a suspicious glance.

Bill suddenly felt warm and uneasy, sweat drops forming above his temples. "Well, uh, yeah. Since I don't remember anything, I'm considered a newbie. Right?" he stuttered. The sweating bothered him; it showed that he was nervous.

Jonathan kept staring at him, but then shrugged. "I know how you feel, man, nothing to be ashamed of," he then said, looking out of the window.

"Wha?" Bill was confused by that.

Jonathan looked back at him. "It must feel awkward for you, being older than me and all, to know less about Pokémon than me."

"Well, eh, I'm not a trainer."

"Even non-trainers know about Pokémon much more than you, Bill. The Scyther issue proves it pretty much," concluded Jonathan, quickly grabbing a bite off his sandwich.

Bill slammed the table lightly, looking upset. "Don't mention them again!" he snapped, "they're a finished chapter!" He reached for his bottle of soda and was about to open it when Jonathan signalled him not to.

"Wait, I've got an idea," he said, grabbing his own bottle. "Let's have a drinking contest!"

Bill smirked, back home he was known for being the fastest emptier of a soda bottle. So at least he'd achieve some victories during this stupid journey. "I accept your challenge!" he burst out, clutching his bottle.

Jonathan grinned smugly. "Right on! You ready?" Bill nodded, "Alright, grab your bottles!" he announced.

Bill grimaced with a chuckle. "Uh, Jon, we're already holding the bottles," he stated.

Now it was Jonathan's turn to slam the table. "Bill, you're ruining the moment!" he grumbled. "Anyway, open your lids!" ht then announced, screwing the lid open. Bill did the same. "Start chugging in 3…"

Bill took various deep breaths so he could empty the bottle quickly.

"2…"

Bill felt relieved that the three other persons had left by now, since Jonathan's announcing was getting embarrassing.

"1…"

Bill's hands got sweaty, so he tightened his grip

"Drink!"

Bill immediately started chugging the sparkling soda as quickly as he could. The bottle was already half empty as the liquid stung in his throat.

"Done!" Jonathan said as he slammed down the empty bottle on the table. Bill almost choked on his soda when he heard that, accidentally spitting out some of the soda. "Hey, no cheating!" he then exclaimed, smirking.

"No… way…" Bill slowly said, staring at Jonathan's empty bottle.

Jonathan whipped his mouth and thumped his chest before slouch backward on his chair. "So, guess I won," he said a little raspy. He then let out of a big burp.

Bill grumbled and finished his soda before letting out a burp as well. "You feeling better now?" he then proceeded to ask, referring to the incident at Mt Moon.

Jonathan chuckled, "Well, now that it's just you and me, I'll tell you one thing." He sat upright and rested his elbow at the table. "When Pidgey and Metapod were killed, I thought that I'd lose my license for training Pokémon. That was actually why I was mad at you back then."

Bill almost jumped to his feet at that. "WHAT?" he shouted.

"Don't make a scene!" Jonathan snapped, looking at Bill angrily. "I know that you're upset by this, but I couldn't tell you back then, since that Hugh guy seemed pretty strict."

"But weren't they like your friends? Metapod saved our asses in Viridian Forest… or at least helped a great deal," he told Jonathan. "And Pidgey beat Hugh's Sandslash!" he added.

Jonathan responded by wiping the air with his hand. "They're expendable – I can always catch a new one."

Bill winced. He hadn't experienced Jonathan being like this. "Gee, you're pretty harsh."

"Those two were my newest Pokémon, I hadn't grown attached to them anyway!"

Bill pointed at Jonathan, waving the finger up and down. "You got a point there… I guess," he muttered.

"At least I got to keep my license. The incidient in Pewter was enough explanation for the nurse. And I'm sure the same incident delayed Pat." Jonathan rested against the back support.

Bill scoffed. "You sure are looking things on the bright side."

"Damn right, Bill! And for that, I think we should have another drinking contest, this time with plain lemonade!"

Bill thought for a moment, whether to accept the challenge again or not. Plain lemonade was easier to chug down, so he might have a chance. He made up his mind and accepted the challenge, and after buying a bottle of blackcurrant lemonade each, they started chugging it down as fast as they could. And Jonathan won again.

"Damn!" Bill shouted while Jonathan laughed.

-----

Bill and Jonathan were now in their room, lying in their bunk beds. The room itself was pretty small, with only one window and a ceiling lamp. They had put their backpacks in a corner opposite the door, and they had hung their clothes on the end of their beds (and they were sleeping in their t-shirts and undererwear). The sun had set for quite a while, and it had gotten pretty dark.

Both had their bed lights turned on, and Jonathan was holding his unfolded map over Kanto.

"So," said Bill, who lied on the upper bed, "when you get this badge here, we're heading off to Lavender? And before that, there's _another_ cave we have to venture through?"

Jonathan studied the map. "Well, I've laid out this route, and I hope I'll catch a good Pokémon on the way. And besides, I wanna try an alternate route."

"Oh well," muttered Bill, "just don't mess up with any funny detours." Jonathan responded with a sarcastic laugh as he kicked the underside of Bill's bed. "Hey! Do that again and I'll…" Bill felt his bladder sting all of a sudden. He needed to empty it, fast.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll do something. Not now, I guess, since I need to go to the toilet," said Jonathan as he sat up on his bed.

Bill also sat up on his bed, looking down at his friend. "Hey, I was just about to do the same thing!" he snapped, "must've been all that drinking."

"And there's only one toilet…" muttered Jonathan.

They both stared at each other, not moving. A sudden movement would upset the bladder it risked emptying itself at the place. They both looked at the other door leading to the bathroom, and then at each other again.

Suddenly, Bill made his move by jumping down from his bed, and Jonathan got up from his as well. Since Bill had jumped down, it took longer from him to recover, so Jonathan got to the bathroom first. When the younger teen reached the door, he quickly opened it, ran inside, and locked the door.

"Yes!" he shouted in triumph.

Bill cursed as he tried preventing his bladder from exploding. "Hurry up or I'll pee on your pillow!" he threatened.

"You wouldn't!" Jonathan shouted back.

**_To be continued…_**

-----

"Aj, vad fan?" – Ow, what the hell? (Not quite accurate, though)

-----

Well, I somehow feel that this chapter was rather disappointing. But I haven't updated for four or five months… Man… Plot block sucks… It is lightening up a little though…


	26. Rebellious Pokemon

Chapter 25

_**Chapter 25**_

Man… what the hell is wrong with me…? This story isn't actually going good, but I guess I'll better move on instead. There are those moments when you just sit there, know what you're gonna write, but it somehow stops you. Enough rant. Though I'll try to shorten down the chapters a bit.

"Shut up, get lost, don't say a word more to me unless you want me to punch you." – Jonathan.

* * *

"_**Rebellious Pokémon"**_

After leaving the PokéCentre, Bill and Jonathan headed directly for the Cerulean Gym. Bill was still pondering about Jonathan's behaviour yesterday and wondered if he'd be different from now. But for now he seemed happy and excited.

The younger teen slapped Bill's back with a smile. "Today, I'm gonna get my second badge before Pat!" he happily exclaimed.

"Eh, you think you'll make it with just three Pokémon?" asked Bill, scratching his head. "The previous gym required you to use all of your Pokémon, which in the case was five."

Jonathan walked ahead a little to face Bill. "Leon told me that there won't be any small battles before the gym leader battle. Pretty neat, actually."

That was right; Jonathan had spoken to one of his friends who were journeying as well while Bill had taken a shower. Bill didn't get the chance to say hello, and he got a little suspicious when he got to know that Jonathan had been talking to others behind his back.

He shrugged; the Blackout Blast should've been working, so he shouldn't get himself too worked up on small things. Especially now that he had sorted out some issues for now.

"What's the matter?" Jonathan suddenly asked, "whatcha thinking about?" He nudged Bill's arm lightly to get his attention.

Bill quickly thought up a quick lie. "I'm just thinking of the behaviour from you yesterday."

Jonathan's happy attitude quickly faded into the serious one. "You better keep quiet about that if you know what's good for you, Bill," he threatened.

"Oh, it's not that I'm bigger than you, and probably more likely to win a fight if you're going that far," he countered.

Jonathan shook his head slowly, "I got my Pokémon, and Ivysaur especially wouldn't refuse to kick your ass," he said as he picked up a pokéball.

Bill grumbled a little, he didn't want to start an unnecessary fight on the streets with some grass Pokémon. He admitted defeat as they then proceeded to the gym.

* * *

They were in front of the entrance of the gym, looking at the seemingly dominant building of the city. The two teens looked at each other briefly.

"I'll make this short and sweet, Bill, just watch," ensured Jonathan as he entered the building with Bill following.

They walked through the cyan coloured corridor they passed one aquarium which contained many red coloured fish Pokémon swimming around. Bill stopped and looked at them for a while. He found them rather cool looking, with the yellow crown looking fin on its back, and the long and thin moustache it had.

Jonathan stopped to see what Bill was looking at. "Why are you looking at the Magikarp?" he asked, his eyebrow rising in confusion.

"Those are some pretty cool carps, man," replied Bill, not taking his stare off the Magikarp. "I wonder how strong they are."

The trainer chuckled shortly and put his hand on Bill's shoulder. "Bill," he started, shaking his head, "they're among the weakest Pokémon."

"Really?" asked Bill, feeling a bit stupid.

Jonathan shrugged, "Yep, but if they evolve, they get pretty dangerous. But it rarely happens in the wild, so don't worry about that." He grinned. "But it's funny to see you finding them cool."

Bill responded with a sarcastic laugh, and then proceeded through the corridor. Jonathan quickly walked by him and grabbed a hold of his shirt in a cue of walking faster.

"Gotta hurry, Bill, I wanna get the badge as soon as possible," he said eagerly, tugging Bill's shirt even more.

Bill grumbled as he obliged. They passed another trainer who seemed happy and was holding a clear blue badge proudly. He was a short ten-year old with red hair where mostly of it was covered under a green beanie. He stopped and looked up at the two teenagers.

"Hey, big guys," he said, "going for the Cascade badge?" he inquired as he straightened out his cyan shirt.

Bill pointed at Jonathan with his thumb, "He is. I'm just watching."

"Cool," the kid replied, "what Pokémon are ya gonna use?" he then asked Jonathan. "You must have real cool Pokémon by judging your age, big guy!"

Jonathan scratched the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable. "Uhh, not really…"

The kid looked disappointed, but then grinned at Jonathan. "So you're just a late starter, aren't ya?" There was a short silence after that, but the kid continued. "So, what Pokémon you got?" he repeated.

"Curious, aren't you?" muttered Bill.

Jonathan took up his three pokéballs in his hands. "I got Ivysaur, Rattata and Growlithe."

The kid crossed his arms, scoffing, "An Ivysaur, huh? Then you're in for an easy match! _I _on the other hand, beat the gym leader using a Charmander and a Sandshrew!" he proudly exclaimed, thumping his chest with pride.

"Impressive…" muttered Jonathan as he placed his pokéballs on the belt again.

"When ya beat the gym leader, we can have a match outside, what you say about it?" he offered, putting one of his hands in his pocket. Jonathan answered with a short nod. "Awesome, but only after you beat the leader, kay?" he finished as he started to leave.

The twosome continued to walk through the corridor and soon arrived at the arena. The most noticeable thing in the arena was a big rectangular pool in the centre of it. In that pool there were square formed, floating platforms where Bill presumed the battles would take place. Against the walls there were benches for the spectators to watch in case they didn't want to stand and watch.

By the pool stood a teenage girl with her back facing the two, unaware of their presence. Her dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing a reddish t-shirt with a pair of greenish shorts. She briefly looked over her shoulder and noticed Bill and Jonathan.

"Oh, d-didn't hear you c-coming," she stuttered, turning around as she put on her glasses, which she had been polishing. She had quite a nerdy look, but her lean body still suggested that she'd be a trainer.

Jonathan stepped forward. "I've come to challenge the gym leader for the Cascade badge," he declared. "You know where the gym leader is?"

The girl giggled a little, adjusting her glasses and flicking away some hair that was in front of her eyes. "The g-gym l-leaders, also known as the "S-sensational Sisters" have c-caught up with a n-nasty flu. And b-before that, they had a vicious c-cold. You d-didn't read the p-poster at the entrance?"

Jonathan shook his head and gave a cheeky grin. "Guess not…"

The girl sighed. "Anyhow, they're put in q-quarantine, as the v-virus was pretty vicious. B-but nothing serious, though. I'm their s-substitute gym leader f-for now," she explained through her stammering.

One of Bill's eyebrows rose as she looked at her.

"D-don't give m-me that l-look, m-mister!" she snapped at him, "J-just bec-cause I'm st-stammering doesn't mean I'm b-below a-ave-average!"

Bill stretched out both arms and then crossed them. "No offence, girl," he muttered.

Jonathan slapped Bill's cap off his head. "Hats off when speaking to ladies, eh, Bill!" he burst out with a smile. Bill just scoffed and bent down to pick his cap up, demonstratively putting it on his head again.

The substitute gym leader slowly shook her head and sighed. "Challenger," she addressed Jonathan, "the b-battle will b-be a t-two-on-two. It will t-take p-place on those p-plat-tforms and switching is a-allowed d-during the bat-tle."

"Okay," the trainer replied. _'That other kid beat her with a fire type and a ground type? Psh, this will be easy.'_

The substitute gym leader walked to the edge of the pool and jumped onto one of the platforms. She gestured Jonathan to go to the other one. Jonathan nodded and walked to the opposing platform and leapt onto that one, only to slip and fall into the water.

Bill guffawed loudly as Jonathan climbed up the platform, soaking wet, and the substitute gym leader snickered as well.

"You ought t-to be c-careful," she reminded him, adjusting her glasses. "The name's Melissa. And you?" she introduced as well as asked.

Jonathan shook off some of the water off him. "Jonathan," he muttered, "which one of us chooses Pokémon first?"

"T-the challenger d-does," replied Melissa, crossing her arms, "it is p-pretty obvious w-what k-kind of t-type I'm using…"

Jonathan sighed and picked up one of his pokéballs, "Yeah, yeah, Growlithe go!" he shouted, throwing it on a platform ahead of him. The fire canine Pokémon materialized from the bright white light on the platform and immediately checked his surroundings. When he saw the water he yelped a bit, fearing it was time for a bath, and then glared at Jonathan as if it was some sick joke.

Melissa picked up one of her pokéballs, and studied Growlithe before throwing it into the water. "We g-got a f-freebie, G-Goldeen!" she exclaimed as a red and white fish materialized out of the light from her pokéball after she threw it. The size of the fish Pokémon's body was of a football, but its constantly billowing tailfins where just as big as its body. It cried out its name as it swam around Melissa's platform, showing off its sharp horn on its forehead.

Jonathan's Pokémon of choice looked at the goldfish Pokémon and than at his trainer with worry. His ears lowered a little as he returned his gaze towards the water, shifting it to the opposing Pokémon and back.

"What's the matter, Growlithe?" barked Jonathan, "focus!" The canine looked again at his trainer and back at the Goldeen, ears up and snarling.

"T-Tail Whip!" Melissa shouted.

"Ember!" Jonathan retaliated.

As the Goldeen surged forward in the water at a high speed, Growlithe managed to fire off a fireball at the goldfish Pokémon. Goldeen quickly went underwater, resulting the fireball to hit nothing but water. A short hissing sound was heard as the water dissipated the fireball. Right after the Ember had disappeared, the Goldeen shot out from the surface towards the fire canine, landing on the platform. The goldfish Pokémon flipped over, landing on its back, and wagged its graceful tail.

Growlithe stared at his opponent in great confusion, sharing that trait with Bill, who did the same. Goldeen bounced back into the water, leaving the fire canine clueless of what to do.

"Peck n-now!" Melissa ordered, seizing her open shot. Goldeen almost instantly emerged from the surface, aiming at Growlithe's unguarded belly and jabbed it with its horn. That attack caused it to bounce to the platform as the fire canine yelped. After a few bounces, it made it back into the water.

Jonathan looked at Growlithe as he got up and clenched his fist; this wasn't a great start. "Growlithe, snap out of it, damnit!" he yelled. His Pokémon got up and looked around to see if he could spot his opponent. But suddenly, he got an idea.

Melissa pointed at Jonathan with her right arm stretched out. "Alright G-Goldeen, fin-nish it off with Horn At-Attack!"

Goldeen circled the platform before jumping out of the water to strike the Growlithe. Jonathan waited with his command; he knew that Goldeen didn't learn any water based attacks until a high level, and he doubted it would be that high. He knew that Growlithe had one move that could win this round.

"The suspense!" Bill exclaimed out of nowhere, making Jonathan jump in surprise.

Jonathan glared briefly at Bill. "Shut it! I'm trying to concentrate!" he shouted back. Right after, Goldeen shot out from the water, aiming its glowing horn right at Growlithe. "Shit, shit, shit!" he cursed.

But Growlithe acted on his own accord, swiftly stepping aside so the Horn Attack missed him. Right after he clamped down his jaws at the Goldeen's tail, stopping it and pulling it onto the platform.

"Yes, yes! Good, great, Growlithe! Now Roar!" he commanded frantically.

Growlithe looked down at the defenceless water type and let out a mighty roar that even made Bill flinch. Goldeen's blue eyes widened with pure fear as it began shivering. It slowly enveloped itself with a transparent red light, dematerializing itself and heading right into Melissa's pokéball.

Flabbergasted, she looked at her pokéball, and then at the Growlithe, and finally at Jonathan. "C-cheap," she just said, crossing her arms. She glanced away slightly afterwards, drawing a sigh.

"Hey, Jon," said Bill, "I didn't know 'Shit shit shit' was a codeword for 'Dodge and bite'!" He laughed an obnoxious laugh as he slapped his knee. Jonathan just shot him a glare.

Melissa adjusted her glasses and picked up another pokéball, tossing it onto the platform in front of her. "Th-this one will eat your Gr-rowl-lithe!" she barked. Out of the white light it formed into what looked like a blobby, giant blue salamander of sorts that stood on its hind legs. Its dot-like eyes in combination with its smiling mouth seemed rather absent-looking made Bill snicker lightly. It was pretty big; just a head shorter than Melissa. It thumped its tail once as it uttered its name. Quagsire.

"W-water G-gun!" Melissa cried, smirking triumphantly.

"Oh, crap," muttered Jonathan.

The bluish Pokémon reared back its head, and lurched forward spitting out a stream of water at Growlithe. The fire canine couldn't dodge the attack no matter what he did. The water attack struck him hard on the face and he was knocked off the platform into the water with a splash. Growlithe thrashed about in the water as he tried to climb up the slippery platform.

Jonathan looked at his Pokémon, knowing that even if Growlithe managed to get up again, he'd stand no chance. He brought up his pokéball and returned Growlithe without a word. He then smirked slyly as he picked up Ivysaur's pokéball, chucking it at the platform in front of him. The bluish-green grass Pokémon appeared in a white light, and looked at the ground absentmindedly.

Ivysaur looked up to see the Quagsire, the pool, and the platforms. He knew what was going on. He slowly looked back at his trainer and stayed that way.

"Vine Whip! This'll be easy for you!" exclaimed Jonathan excitedly, knowing that the Cascade badge was as good as his. He grinned as he saw Melissa's nervous glare as she gritted her teeth and adjusted her glasses.

But Ivysaur didn't follow Jonathan's command. Instead, he let his gaze float over to where Bill was standing, and the gaze turned into a brief glare of daggers. Bill took a nervous step backwards. The Pokémon then looked back at Jonathan with shocked and depressed eyes, and back at Bill.

"Ivysaur! Don't just stand there! Vine Whip damnit!" he shouted.

The substitute's nervous glare quickly melted into a smirk. "Q-Quag-gsire, Slam!" she ordered, wiping the sweat of her forehead. Her Pokémon hopped into the water, lazily swimming over to Ivysaur's platform. Ivysaur looked at his attacker and drew a long sigh, letting his gaze slide back to Jonathan.

'_That little weed-headed bastard,'_ thought Bill as he looked at the defiant Ivysaur, _'he's doing it to make Jon think that I'm the cause!'_

Quagsire popped up from the water and landed on Ivysaur's platform, its weight alone making the platform tilt. Ivysaur lost his balance and sled towards the water fish Pokémon, who turned around and slammed its tail right at his face. Crying in pain, Ivysaur backed to the ledge opposite Quagsire, where the platform was a bit over the water.

'_What's the matter with him?'_ Jonathan thought, _'he's deliberately losing the match.'_

"S-Slam again!" Melissa cried, and her Quagsire jumped off the platform, landing on it to launch Ivysaur towards it. As the grass Pokémon sailed through the air towards the water type, he did his best to not care. Quagsire slammed its tail hard at Ivysaurs underside, knocking him into the water. Ivysaur didn't come up.

"Shit!" Jonathan cried as he fumbled his pokéball, aiming to where his Pokémon had submerged. He shot a red beam once, but didn't make contact. He shot again, and felt that he hit Ivysaur this time as he called his Pokémon back successfully.

Melissa took off her glasses and polished them with her shirt. She let of a smug smirk as she did that, and her Pokémon swam up to her platform. "I w-win," she confirmed, putting the glasses back on. "D-defin-itly one f-for the records," she added. Quagsire climbed up on her platform and waddled over to her, giving her a sudden victory hug. "N-no, bad Q-Quagsire!" she yelped, recalling it with her pokéball.

Jonathan looked down, clenching his fist around the pokéball he held it with. He slowly walked to the edge of his platform and jumped onto firm ground. He advanced to Bill as he quickly grabbed his hand, pulling him with him to the exit door of the gym.

"Come on," he grunted, not looking at Bill, "we're leaving for the PokéCentre."

"S-see you next t-time!" teased Melissa as she waved her hand at the two.

Jonathan kept dragging Bill through the corridor, and the older teen tried to keep up. However, Bill didn't like being dragged around by someone younger. "Jon, let go!" he whined. Jonathan ignored him. Bill then stopped in his tracks and pulled his hand from Jonathan's grip. "I can walk on myself, you know."

Jonathan kept ignoring him stubbornly as he headed for the exit. Slamming the doors open, he stomped out of the gym, meeting the kid they both met before.

"Hiya, how'd it go?" he greeted excitedly, picking up one of his pokéballs instantly.

Jonathan shot him a dark look. He stared at the younger trainer for a couple of second and then turned away.

The younger trainer scoffed surprisingly, grimacing slightly. "No way… you lost with an Ivysaur?" he exclaimed.

Jonathan looked back at the trainer and stepped up to him, towering over him. "Shut up, get lost, don't say a word more to me unless you want me to punch you. Hard," he threatened.

The younger trainer looked back at him, not saying anything, and then turned around to leave. Jonathan sighed irately before he resumed his walk to the PokéCentre. Bill followed from a distance.

* * *

Bill entered the PokéCentre and saw Jonathan at the desk, speaking with the nurse. He still seemed angry at his loss at the Cerulean Gym. Bill saw that he received two pokéballs from the nurse and saw him look at him. He gestured Bill to follow him into his room. Bill sighed and did so, briefly lifting his cap in a mellow greeting gesture as he passed the nurse behind the counter.

Jonathan slammed the door shut to his room right after Bill had entered and locked it. He picked up a pokéball and threw it to the ground, calling forth Ivysaur. The Grass Pokémon appeared from the white light and looked around. He turned to see his trainer and Bill, and sighed.

"Ivysaur," Jonathan started seriously, "what was up with you back there?"

The Grass Pokémon rolled his eyes and turned his back to Jonathan. "Saur," he muttered.

"Hey! Don't you turn your back to me!" barked Jonathan, grabbing the ear of Ivysaur, forcing him to look at him. Ivysaur snapped at him and snorted, turning his back to Jonathan again. The trainer clenched his fists and grumbled.

"Ivy, ivysa saur," Ivysaur muttered again, pointing his vines at Bill. "Saurivy," he then added and pointed at himself.

Bill raised an eyebrow, knowing what Ivysaur meant. The Grass type sent him a brief glare as he turned to Jonathan. Bill took a deep breath and tried to relax; trying not to react when Ivysaur was telling his trainer that Bill was a Pokémon.

"Now, what, Ivysaur? Are you blaming Bill for your loss?" Jonathan suddenly snarled. He pointed at Ivysaur. "_You_ did nothing!" He pointed at him again. "_You_ lost!" He pointed at Bill finally. "And _Bill_ didn't say a word to you during the fight."

Ivysaur's eyes widened. He became speechless and gasped for breath. His facial structures twitched lightly into a sorrowful one as he slowly backed away from Jonathan. A tear dropped down on the floor from his open eye, and it was followed with another two drops. Jonathan's aggression faded as he instantly regretted what he had said.

"Ivysaur… I, I didn't mean that… I-"

"SAUR!" Ivysaur roared, making both Bill and Jonathan back away from him. The tears then flowed down the cheeks of Ivysaur as it wailed loudly. Jonathan tried to open up another conversation of comfort, but Ivysaur just whipped him. Jonathan sighed and returned the Grass type.

Jonathan looked at the pokéball blankly, attached it to his belt and looked at Bill. "You!" he blurted out, pointing at Bill, who crossed his arms. "It's because of you Ivysaur acted this, wasn't it?" he growled as he approached Bill who stood still.

'_Okay, a lie, a good lie, now…'_ thought Bill quickly. "I… he was really pissed at me in Mt Moon."

Jonathan gave him a confused stare. "Explain, Ivysaur's not lie this, you know."

"Yeah, but I got really mad at him, you see." Bill scratched the hair on the back of his head. "I called him things. Like 'Weed-head', 'Rosie'… I guess he's upset with me…"

Jonathan stared suspiciously at him. "Really?" he asked. Bill nodded. "Isn't that sweet? Now Ivysaur's pissed off at me because_ you_ called him things!" He calmed down a bit. "Maybe he just doesn't stand looking at you… and probably doesn't like when I back you up-"

Bill crossed his arms again and looked out of the window. "So… you think you can beat that Gym leader with Rattata and Growlithe?" he asked.

Jonathan shrugged. "I don't think so," he muttered dryly, "her Pokémon seemed pretty strong, and it was with dumb luck I even managed to beat the Goldeen. Ivysaur's my trump card against her, no doubt."

Bill looked at Jonathan, who seemed much calmer than before. "Oh… I see."

"That's why I want you not to watch the next battle. That way, maybe Ivysaur will do what I say if you aren't there to distract him," he concluded.

Bill tilted his head, and briefly looked away. "What should I do while you're battling then?"

"You could hang around in the gym, or just outside," replied Jonathan, "just don't do anything stupid." Bill just scoffed, rolling his eyes.

* * *

Standing before the entrance of the gym again this day, Jonathan cast a quick look at Bill.

"So, I guess we'll temporally part ways for now," he said, putting his hand on the door handle.

Bill shrugged. "Good luck then."

Jonathan chuckled. "I'll need it; there's no way Melissa is going to fall for the Roar again." With that, Jonathan entered the gym.

Bill sighed; now he had nothing to do. He didn't feel for going to a library for reading, as it didn't seem to help him at all when he thought back at the Scyther issue. He sat down against the wall next to the doors of the gym and started thinking again about what he had to do in this world. He picked up his stop watch and regarded its smooth silvery surface. This watch would probably play a big role of his objective, as its amazing abilities had saved him a couple of times and would probably do so in the future.

He lightly tossed it up in the air and caught it as it came back. He repeated the action once again, but this time the sunrays were reflected of the shiny surface and blinded him temporally. The watch fell down his lap, and he rubbed his eyes briefly before picking it up again. He detached the chain that was used to hold the watch from his breast pocket and span the watch around a couple of times.

"Meooowth." Bill looked at where the sudden sound had come from. Peeping its head from the corner of the building was a small cat-like Pokémon with a distinctively large head. Bill gave it a curious look as it walked out from the corner, trotting on its four legs towards him. He quickly became insecure; he wasn't a big fan of cats. The cream cat kept advancing with its own curious look, wagging its brown curled up tail it advanced.

Bill noticed the oval coin on its head and wondered who the heck had glued it there. The Meowth's big eyes were peeled on his shiny watch, staring at it with a passion. Bill noticed that and clutched the watch in his hand, hoping that the feline wouldn't snatch it from him.

The Meowth pounced and landed in front of him. Since Bill was sitting down, he couldn't jump away in fear. Instead, he backed right into the wall, hitting his head. The scratch cat Pokémon laughed a yowling laugh. It rose up and stood on its hind legs, smiling widely.

"Ehh," stuttered Bill. He felt a bit insecure in front if the Pokémon. "D-don't hurt me, alright?"

The Meowth titled its head, giving him a confused stare. It got down on its fours and rubbed its head against his knees, smiling. Bill relaxed slightly as he carefully stroke the feline's fur. The Meowth looked up at him and smiled, rubbing its head into his sides.

"Heh, you like that, Kissekatten?" he said. The feline's smile turned into a frown as it swiped at him with its claws.

"Mrreow!" it hissed.

Bill shielded his face from the claws, even though the swipe wasn't intended to hit. "H-hey now, you don't like being called Kissekatten?" It shook its head. "It sounds girly, right?" It nodded. "So you're a guy?" he then asked. The male Meowth nodded as he licked his paws. He then looked at Bill, sitting down and scratching his brown ears with his hind legs.

It was then Bill noticed something very funny. He poked the Meowth between his eyes and laughed. "Haha, I got your nose!" he joked. The Meowth's eyes widened as its tail and whiskers stiffed up. He pounced on Bill and scratched him across the face, and then bit down on the watch. Bill grabbed his face in pain, but the scratch had been a weak one, only intended to stun him. But he did hold onto the thin chain attached to the watch while the Meowth tried to run away with it.

The Meowth was jerked back when Bill pulled the chain, and fell on his back. Bill quickly pulled the watch out of Meowth's mouth, and pointed a scolding finger at him. The feline hissed shortly, but then tried putting on an innocent smile. Bill just stared sternly at the scratch cat Pokémon.

"No," he started, "you're not taking that watch." Meowth pouted slightly, looking away in disappointment. "Hey, that watch _is_ mine, Scratchy." Meowth hissed at him again, not liking the name. Bill scratched his head as he had a confused look. "Uh, sorry then, but what's your name then?"

"Meowth!" the scratch cat happily exclaimed, rising up on his hind legs. The happy face the cat made was enough for Bill to lower his guard yet again. He reached out with his hand and patted the Pokémon carefully again, and Meowth responded by rubbing his head into the hand. Bill was still aware of that he had to hold onto his watch, and quickly attached the tip of the chain to his breast pocket so the Pokémon couldn't run off with it too easy.

However, he still felt a need to tease the feline a bit more. He flashed the watch before the Meowth's eyes, seeing his almost mesmerized stare, and quickly tossed it up in the air. The scratch cat Pokémon quickly pounced to get it, but Bill's hand was faster. "You really like this, Meowth?" he asked. The Meowth nodded, still gawking at the watch. He timidly took one step closer, and climbed up on Bill's knees. The cat then put one of his paws on the watch, feeling its smooth, silvery exterior.

Bill felt a bit uncomfortable when the scratch cat became that intrusive towards him. He pulled the watch closer to him, but the Meowth just followed his hand's movement. Bill realized that it'd be better if he stood up so the Pokémon wouldn't reach him, and he did so, getting to his feet.

Disappointed, the Meowth hopped down as Bill was getting to his feet, sitting down as he looked down on him. Bill wondered why the feline was so fascinated by his watch. "Now off with you!" said Bill, trying to shoo him off. "Shoo, be gone!" he went on. The Meowth just tilted his head curiously and meowed lowly. Bill sighed; this Pokémon was really using his cute looks to get that watch, no doubt about it.

The Meowth stood up with its hind legs again looked him straight into his eyes. He meowed once more, raising both of his front paws. Bill felt nervous again. "Uh, I'm sorry, but I don't have any food for you," he said nervously. The Meowth raised an eyebrow, tilting his head again. He then crossed his small arms and scoffed.

"Mree… Meowth!" he muttered before he got down on his fours and scurried off to the same corner he had come out from.

Bill let out a sigh of relief. _'Finally,'_ he thought. He pocketed the watch and looked up at the sky. Some clouds had formed during his stay outside, but they were all far from the sun. He sighed again and started thinking about that Meowth. It was kinda odd, but despite him having scratched him, that Meowth had been kinda nice to him. But that was probably because he wanted that watch.

He was beginning to get bored by just waiting right outside the gym, but he couldn't go inside. If Ivysaur saw him, Jonathan would probably lose the battle, and then he'd throw a fit about Bill not listening. Definitely not an option. He decided to take a quick walk around the building to spend some time. Straightening up himself, taking a short hop upwards, he started his walk to the opposite corner the Meowth had taken off to.

However, as soon as he had rounded the corner, it was darker due to the shading. The building was big enough to block the sun if one weren't at the right place. And the back alley didn't seem to be the right place right now. He got an odd feeling that he was watched, but shrugged it off, knowing that if it was that Meowth again, that wouldn't be much of a problem.

When he rounded the second corner he noticed that there were no windows on any of the buildings here, and the space between the buildings was a bit tighter as well. And the fact that it was even dimmer didn't make him feel better.

'_Come on! It's just one lap around the building. What could go wrong?'_ he thought, immediately regretting thinking the forbidden four words. He pretended it never happened and kept walking. He spotted a swift movement up ahead and stopped dead in his tracks. He scanned the area and tried to find whatever had moved, worrying if the Meowth was planning something.

Regretting his idea of taking a walk around the building, he turned around and walked back the way he came from. But then something landed on the back of his shoulders. It was the Meowth. The nimble feline quickly climbed over Bill's head and dug one of his front paws to grab the stop watch. After accomplishing the feat, he jumped off Bill and tried to make is escape.

"Åh nej, kattjävel, du stannar!" shouted Bill as he dove after the Meowth, managing to grab a hold of his tail.

"MREEEEEOOOOWWTH! He yowled shrilly, dropping the watch. Bill yanked the tail once more, pulling the Meowth behind him so he had enough time to get the watch. At the instant he grabbed it, the Meowth pounced on him again from behind, clutch his very claws into his back.

Bill gritted his teeth as the small claws almost dug into his skin. He tried to reach behind his back to get a hold of the scratch cat Pokémon, but the Meowth held on himself, and clutched harder as Bill finally managed to get a hold of him. He made sure his grip was firmed and pulled the cat off his back, causing the Meowth to rip his shirt as well.

"Now, wasn't that a bit unnecessary, Meowth?" he snarled, holding the struggling cat in front of him. The Meowth then crossed his arms, frowning.

"Meow… th," he muttered before freeing himself from Bill's grip and running off. Bill sighed; he wondered what really _was_ up with that cat.

He resumed his little trip around the building by walking the opposite direction the Meowth had run off, and hoped that he wouldn't meet him again. He pocketed the watch in his pocket and was about to round the corner when he was met with another unpleasant surprise.

"I thought I recognized that voice, no?" It was Pat. She had stepped out from the corner and faced Bill with crossed arms. She moved up one arm and flicked her black hair confidently, and then crossed her arms again.

Bill backed off. "Not you _again_! I've already been almost robbed by some Meowth!" he whined. He kept a close watch on her, in case she was going to call out her Charizard. He did not want to meet him again. He saw her reach for one of her pokéballs.

"Where were we left off last time?" she started, picking a pokéball from her belt, "Oh yes, it was that forest issue, wasn't it? You know what, Bill, it wasn't that fun when Pewter was attacked by that swarm."

Bill bit his lip. _'She's going into that again?'_ he thought bitterly, his eyes peeled on the pokéball.

"It wasn't a pleasant experience, you see. I actually thought they were after Pikachu again, which reminds me," she explained to him as she threw her pokéball towards the ground, calling forth the yellow electric mouse Pokémon.

Pikachu recognized Bill directly, and scratched his long ear. "Pika, pika?"

Bill felt that he was getting warmer. Beads of sweat were starting to form on his forehead. "W-well, that's one cute hamster, heh," he forced out. Pikachu shot him a glare and charged up some electricity. Bill backed a few steps from the two, trying to make a run for it.

"Stop acting dumb," sighed Pat, rolling her eyes.

"W-what? I'm not dumb enough so I'd play dumb," replied Bill, trying to catch her off guard.

Pat quirked and eyebrow. "Really now, you shouldn't make this harder for you. Pikachu's electric attacks are quite shocking," she warned, smiling at her own pun.

"Okay, okay!" Bill agreed, sweating a bit more. "I've had some rough days too! Those Scyther attacked Jon and me in Mt Moon and-"

"Well that's what I liked to hear," she interrupted, smirking. Bill cursed himself for talking too much. "And what did they want you then, seeing as they went all the way in there to meet you?"

Bill gulped, and backed a few more steps. Pat and Pikachu just stood there, both looking confident. But after one more step, he bumped into something soft and warm. He stiffened as a pair of orange, clawed hands firmly grabbed his shoulders. The grip tightened as he tried to turn around to confirm who had grabbed him.

"It's just Charizard, Bill," Pat confirmed, flicking her hair again. "He's quite grouchy today, so don't try to pull off any stunts now, will you?"

"Why can't you just leave me alone? I helped you back in Viridian, damnit!" protested Bill. He heard Charizard snort at him from behind, sending a hot puff of smoke down the back of his neck. He stiffened up again, shivering.

Pat walked forward, Pikachu following closely. "Okay, this is how it is, Bill," she seriously said, "I ask you a question, and you either answer, and Charizard here will be happy. If you don't answer, there's the chance he might get upset. And judging his mood today, I really don't advice you to do the latter. Are we clear?" she finished.

Bill looked away. This wasn't a good timing, that was for sure. He heard a low growl from behind, feeling Charizard's chest vibrate as he threatened him.

"Are we clear?" Pat repeated impatiently.

"Yes! Yes…" Bill answered. Charizard's growling stopped, and he then snorted again at Bill. The boy sighed; this was no going good…

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

Translation

Kissekatten – Pussycat

Åh nej, kattjävel, du stannar! – Oh no you don't, bastard cat, you stay!


	27. Interrogational Hardships

_**Chapter 26**_

Wow, I better hope I can get this darn story on the road soon. It was a while since it was updated last time.

'I like the colour,' Charizard.

* * *

"_**Interrogational Hardships"**_

Bill didn't like the situation he was in. It was Pat standing in front of him with her Pikachu – the very same Pikachu he had met in Viridian Forest – and Charizard behind him, keeping a firm grip on his shoulders so he wouldn't run away. Bill knew Pat had the perfect advantage; they were behind the gym which was a place no one would go, and no one lived there either.

Pat looked at him and tilted her head, smirking as confidently as ever. "Charizard, lower the grip just a little," she ordered, "right down on his arms." Charizard obliged without question and let his orange clawed hands slide down to the top of Bill's upper arms. He fidgeted a little, but the flame Pokémon twisted his arms backwards, forcing him to bend over.

"I told you… He's in a bad mood, Bill," reminded Pat, her smirk slowly transforming into a smile. She clasped her hands together. "Such a shame, isn't it, Bill? Your little friend Jonathan isn't here to back you up with that "amnesia" of yours," she then teased, rising both of her index and middle fingers to form quotation marks as she said amnesia.

Bill groaned as Charizard held his arms at such uncomfortable angle. "Jon's inside the gym, I… I could just shout and he'll come," he said while gritting his teeth. Pat's Charizard didn't like Bill speaking so he twisted his arms a little more, causing him to drop on his knees.

"Enough, Charizard, we don't want to hurt him yet," she told her Pokémon. Charizard gave a quick nod and pushed Bill's arms where they were from the beginning. He then lifted him off the ground and put him down on his feet. "I wouldn't advise that, Bill," she hissed, almost spitting out his name, "Charizard doesn't like loudmouthed boys."

Bill looked straight up, only to see Charizard's draconic face loom over from behind. His lips were curled in a menacing, silent snarl, baring sharp, long fangs as he glared intensively into Bill's eyes. He exerted a nod, despite the fact that he didn't dare to look away from Charizard.

"Look at me, Bill, Charizard doesn't like being stared at. So _behave_," she lowly told him, staring threateningly into his eyes as he took away his stare from Charizard. A chill went down his spine. He was about to speak again, but forced his mouth shut when he reminded himself of Charizard.

"Now, started Pat, standing a bit more relaxed, "let's start from the beginning, shall we?" Bill nodded. He felt Charizard letting go of his left arm and tapping his shoulder rewardingly before he firmly grabbed his left arm again. "Good boy. So, did you go to the forest the same night Pikachu was gone?" she questioned.

Bill swallowed once, thinking if he should try a lie. But that Pikachu was standing right there, and that little rat had probably ratted him out, so to say. "Yes," he firmly answered, confirming his answer with a nod.

"What did you do there?" Pat asked after that, crossing her arms questioningly.

Bill looked down. "I… I…" He hesitated. Charizard tightened the grip on his arms. "I went to get your Pikachu, okay!" he yelled in exasperation and pain. Charizard twisted his arms again.

"What did I tell you, Bill?" Pat almost softly told him. "Charizard doesn't like loud boys." She gestured her Pokémon to loosen the twist, and he obliged. "So what were you doing there?" she asked afterwards.

Bill looked up at her. "I was going to get your Pikachu," he replied a little too fast. Pat looked down at her Pikachu, who seemed to nod at her a little timidly. "What kind of a 'thanks' is that, Pat?" he then snapped, feeling Charizard's grip tighten. He stifled the urge trying to elbow the Charizard, or stomping on his feet.

Pat, however, turned her look at Pikachu. She knelt down and whispered something to him. The Pikachu mostly responded by nodding and shaking his head. He then whispered something back to his trainer, pointing at Bill with his small paws. After the word exchange with her Pokémon, she stood up and looked at Bill.

She crossed her arms as her expression turned serious. "There was a Scyther raid in Pewter a few days ago. What do you know about that?"

Bill gulped; he didn't know what Pikachu had said to Pat. "N-not much," he simply replied.

"Pika pikachu!" the electric mouse quipped, pointing at Bill accusingly. Pat looked at the Pokémon and then let her angry gaze float over to Bill. The boy felt he was sweating bullets and instinctively tried to back away, but accidentally stepped on Charizard's foot.

Charizard roared and let go of Bill's left arm, quickly using it to grab his neck. Charizard's clawed hands were big enough to go around Bill's entire neck as he grabbed it.

"Charizard… down, boy," Pat ordered lowly, lowering her hand lowly at the fire Pokémon. "We don't want to attract any unneeded attention, do we?" The grip around his neck loosened, and the draconic Pokémon let go of it as he grabbed Bill's left arm again, pushing it to his sides. "Please avoid doing things like that, Bill, I wasn't kidding when I told you he was grouchy."

"D-didn't m-mean to," muttered Bill as he tried calming himself down. Charizard just snorted at him, sending another puff of hot smoke down his neck.

"Either way," Pat then said, crossing her arms again, trying to get back on the subject, "Pikachu told me something different. You know, the Scyther approached _me and Pikachu_ when they saw us. Of course I couldn't get Charizard out, but they didn't seem exactly intent on taking him back." She took a step towards Bill. "Half of Pewter was aware of the raid, and various people had been taken hostage. Yet they left as soon as the supposed leader had exchanged words with Pikachu. A shame really, he leader was a shiny Scyther, after all.

"Which brings me to the question, Bill," she then snapped, spitting out his name again. "What did they want?"

Bill looked away again in guilt. He stared feebly at the ground like a six year old kid who was being questioned if he had taken cookies out of the cookie jar. He heard a low rumble, it sounded like it had occurred close to him, but it wasn't loud. His heart skipped a beat when he realized it was Charizard's belly.

"What did they want?" repeated Pat sternly. Charizard tried to get Bill to answer by twisting his arms again.

"Your Charizard is hungry!" he squeaked, "His tummy rumbled!"

Pat remained emotionless however, and nodded at Charizard in a gesture. The Charizard quickly spun him around, forcing him to face the fearsome fire type. Charizard had reaffirmed his grip so he held Bill under his arms. Without warning, he quickly lowered his head and opened his mouth to bite down at Bill.

Bill closed his eyes as he almost wet himself at the fear of his head being bitten off. He heard a loud clamping noise, but he didn't feel anything. However, the Charizard had bitten nothing but air in front of Bill's very nose. When he felt hot air wafting his face his eyes shot open. He grew even more terrified as he saw Charizard's clenched teeth right before him, and his clear blue eyes staring deeply into his fear stricken soul.

"You're really thick, you know that?" Pat said from behind, not sounding concerned at all about Bill's condition. "When I say 'jump', you say 'how high?'. What part in that sentence isn't getting into your thick skull?"

Bill heard her, but didn't know what she meant. "Uh… nothing?" he asked uncertainly. Charizard moved his head closer to Bill's, pointing his snout down so he could press his forehead against Bill's. It didn't matter how much he tried; he couldn't look away from Charizard's threatening eyes. He gulped.

"Very funny, smartass, now answer the damn question already. What. Did. They. Want?" she asked impatiently.

Bill gulped again. He was about to ask if she could get Charizard to move away just a little, but didn't. "They… they…" he swallowed, feeling the lump in his throat disappear temporarily. "They wanted me," he finally said. Charizard moved his head away from Bill, looking down at him in confusion.

"You? What would they…?" Bill heard her stop. She thought briefly, wondering if he told the truth or not. She cast a look at Pikachu, who just looked at him. "If so, what the hell did you do in the forest? You didn't just get Pikachu, did you?"

Bill gritted his teeth. _'Stupid follow-up questions,'_ he thought. He moved his hand to adjust his black cap a little, but Charizard frowned at him.

'Be still, you,' he told him. Bill's eyes widened in shock, he just understood Charizard. That could only mean that the thing he didn't want to happen, had happened. He had unintentionally changed into Pokémon status when Charizard had pulled off the scare tactic.

"Shit," he said.

Pat sighed. "Shit was not answer I expected from you, Bill. What happened, really, I'm curious."

Bill felt sweaty again. He really needed to play his cards right, or he'd end up in a pokéball. Charizard tightened his grip again, not saying anything. "I… encountered them," he finally admitted. Words could not describe how happy Bill was that his cap covered his hair that would've been coloured in the type he had been in the last time, which would be red.

"And?" Pat asked, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, uh, they weren't exactly happy… and quickly figured why I was there and took me captive too," Bill told her, not able to take his eyes of Charizard. "But since it was in the middle of the night, the one watching over me fell asleep, and I was able to sneak away, freeing Pikachu."

There was a silence, and a painful one at that. Bill wondered what Pat was thinking. "Charizard, turn him around," he heard her say. Charizard did so, turning Bill around with a sudden jerk and clutched his shoulder firmly. However, Pat had her back turned to him, both of her hands behind her back as well.

"Bill," she started calmly, yet with a hint of smugness, "that doesn't make any sense. Those Scyther would _never_ raid a city, enter a cave filled with rock Pokémon just for that. Something happened in the forest," she concluded. She turned around, looking Bill straight into his eyes, almost in the same fashion Charizard had not long ago. "I'd like you to tell me what you did," she hissed.

Bill gulped again. He realized he had done that many times now. _'I need to stop doing that,'_ he thought right after. "A-ask Pikachu!" he told her. He felt Charizard's grip tighten.

'Tell her!' he growled into Bill's ears.

Pikachu tugged her pants timidly though, grabbing her attention. 'He helped me…' he lowly squeaked. Bill smiled faintly, knowing that the rat was keeping his little part of the deal back then.

"It doesn't change the question, Bill, what happened?" she then questioned, pointing at him.

'_Crap,'_ thought Bill. He scanned every possibility he could to find a possible lie that would make sense and satisfy Pat. But he felt his arms being twisted again. "I struck one of them!" he blurted out, whining under the pain in his arms. He tried to fight back a little, now that he had transformed, but it was no use. Charizard was stronger than he'd thought.

"You… struck one of them…?" she doubtfully asked him. Bill nodded. She put her hands on her hips, shaking with a disbelieving smile on her face. "Heh, which mental care did you escape from? If you're lying, there's something wrong with you. If you're telling the truth, there's something more wrong with you," she concluded.

"It's called self-defence!" protested Bill as Charizard twisted his arms further.

Pat chuckled lightly. "No one strikes a Scyther when within its territory, Bill, especially not a human. It's asking to get horribly beaten up, or worse," she told him, looking at her wristwatch. She sighed. "Well, I guess that's it for now," she then said.

Bill let out a sigh of relief as Charizard loosened the grip on his shoulders. "So that means-"

"No, no, no," Pat interrupted. "I'm not letting you go, Bill. There is so much more I must ask you. It's just that I must get my last gym badge before the gym closes. Plus, I might see Jonathan there, so I can just tell him you were off to another place in this city." She picked up a pokéball and aimed at Pikachu, returning him in a red light. "Charizard will watch over you while I'm gone, so don't upset him now that I'm not there to calm him down, okay?" she finished as she wheeled around and left Bill with Charizard still holding him.

"Hey, you can't do this!" he protested, only to get no answer from her as she rounded the corner. "You can't leave me wi-"

He was cut off by Charizard put his scaly hand over Bill's mouth, shutting him up abruptly. 'No yelling,' he growled.

Bill nodded weakly, but Charizard didn't take his hand away. Bill thought about his now free left arm. He could use it to execute a reverse Mega Punch to stun Charizard briefly to get away. He hesitated the action, wondering if it would be a good idea or not. From what Jonathan had told him the night before, she had almost every badge, meaning that her Pokémon were strong. And if Charizard was her first Pokémon, it'd be stupid to attack him.

He drew a long sigh through his nostrils, as Charizard didn't want to let him speak for a while. He thought about using his free arm to remove Charizard's scaly hand from his mouth, but it'd just result to any unwanted consequences. At least the fire type wasn't hard-pawed by keeping him shut.

He suddenly felt itchy in his hair and by reflex reached up with his left hand and scratched the back of his head, reaching under his cap. Of course, that action caused Charizard to briefly tighten his grip around Bill's right arm and mouth. He groaned. However, the fire type quickly softened the grip, drawing a wondering breath.

'Huh?' he said as he took his scaly hand away from Bill's mouth, moving it slowly to his cap. Grabbing it firmly, he quickly took it off, revealing Bill's re-coloured hair caused by the type he currently was. Staring at the red hair for a while, he scoffed. 'Nice hair,' he muttered, dropping Bill's cap onto the ground.

"Thanks," replied Bill without thinking. _'Shit, shit! Why did I do that?'_ he angrily thought. He didn't want Charizard to know he was in Pokémon status. If he knew, he'd get a lot rougher to him.

'I like the colour,' he continued.

Bill inhaled slowly and the exhaled deeply in a relieving sigh. Charizard hadn't noticed. He figured it'd be because Pat understood her Pokémon's body language in a way so Charizard might've been used to it. Nevertheless, he knew that even though Pat would be pretty fast at getting that badge, it would take time for her to return. So he thought that he could try striking up a brief conversation with his captor. Of course he had to act he didn't really understand Charizard.

"So, uh, what do you think about what Pat's doing?" he asked, trying not to be too loud or anything. Charizard quickly forced him to turn around and grabbed him by the collar, raising his other clawed hand and stared into his eyes. Bill didn't like the piercing eyes of the Charizard; they reminded him of Firzé. Bill gulped once before trying to continue. "W-well, I mean, uh… don't you think it's, like, wrong to do this?" he managed to say, sweating bullets.

Charizard just calmly shook his draconic head. He then resumed staring into Bill's terrified eyes.

Bill tried looking away, letting a dustbin get his attention. This was getting nowhere, and Charizard was probably just doing what he was told to, and would probably not fall for any ethic chatter. He winced as he looked back at the fire Pokémon. "C-could you soften the grip a little, please? I… I don't feel-"

He was interrupted by a tightening of Charizard's grip on his collar. 'That's the point,' he just replied, baring his teeth slightly.

'_You bastard,'_ thought Bill angrily as he clenched his left fist. Both of his arms were free from Charizard's grip, but he was still at a disadvantage. He tried another approach. "Can I at least get to sit down?" he requested. Charizard eyed him briefly before pushing him down against the closest wall, still holding onto his collar.

'Happy now?' the draconic Pokémon snorted, still staring at him. Bill just responded with a scoff.

The sudden sound of a metal lid dropping onto the ground from the nearby dustbin immediately caught the two's attention. Charizard tightened the grip on Bill's collar and snarled lowly. Bill winced again; he thought that the lid had just slid off or something, but he wasn't sure. After a painful three minutes, the fire type then turned his attention towards Bill again and snorted.

"Gee…" muttered Bill, "why the bad temper?" Charizard moved his head closer to Bill's, narrowing his eyes. Bill whined a little as he tried to back away, only realizing he was against the wall.

Charizard put his other claw at his yellow belly. 'I'm a bit hungry,' he muttered, his belly rumbling shortly after.

Bill yelped lowly, trying to back away again. "Don't eat me!" he squeaked. He didn't really know if Charizard would actually do that, but Pat had warned him of his bad temper.

Charizard regarded Bill for a moment and then suddenly smiled friendly, reaching out with his free claw to stroke his hair playfully. 'Heh, funny guy, you,' he said, 'trying to make the time go faster?' he asked, seeming a bit more friendly than before.

Bill was about to reply, but managed not to do that too hastily. "You happy now?" he then asked, trying not to reply directly to Charizard's sentence.

Charizard was about to reply when his eyes suddenly widened. Snapping his head around, he scanned the area for movement. He had a feeling he wasn't alone. 'Huh?' he hummed as he briefly let go of Bill. Pointing at him with his scaly hand, he growled. 'You stay.' Bill just sat down and stared at the draconic Pokémon.

The fire Pokémon slowly lumbered over to the dustbin which's lid had fallen off and gazed into it. Snorting, he quickly put his clawed hand into the bin and snatched onto something inside it. T Bill's surprise, what Charizard pulled out was none other than that Meowth he had seen before.

'Hey, lemme go you big meanie! I'll scratch your face off' he yowled, flailing furiously with his arms and legs trying to get a swipe at the bigger Pokémon as he was held by the neck.

'Nosy Meowth… Spying on us, no?' Charizard muttered smirking. Walking back to Bill with the scratch cat Pokémon still in his grasp, he lowered his head closer to Bill's again, pointing at the Meowth. 'He's your Pokémon?' he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Bill fidgeted a little; he knew the Meowth from before, but he wasn't sure how to answer. "Well, uh, that isn't my Pokémon. Just some stalker kitty," he confirmed.

Meowth tried squirming out of Charizard's grasp, but couldn't. 'I just want your shiiiney!' he yowled, eyes suddenly sparkling a little.

Bill frowned at the Meowth. "Well, you won't have it!" he snapped, quickly thinking over if what he had said was a smart move. His heart rate quickened as he started to feel sweaty. "He tried stealing my watch," he quickly explained.

Charizard just tilted his head, studying Bill shortly, and then shrugged. 'You sure understood him well,' he said, casting a quick look at the cream coloured Pokémon. The scratch cat Pokémon wouldn't stop squirming and he tightened his grasp around the neck to silently tell it to stop. The Meowth didn't. Grumbling, Charizard dropped the Meowth on Bill without warning.

Yowling, Meowth latched onto Bill's chest. Bill tried to get him off before he'd manage to snatch the watch again. "Argh, stop!" he snapped at the feline as he tried digging his paw into one of Bill's pockets. Bill managed to grab him by the back of his neck, pulling him away.

'Can't I just play a little with it?' the Meowth pleaded, putting his two front paws together in a begging pose.

"No!" Bill hissed, "No playing with my stuff." He quickly looked up as he heard a low, threatening growl from Charizard. Apparently he had been too loud with his scolding. The draconic Pokémon swiftly clutched a hold of Bill's collar again, pulling him closer to him.

'What did Pat say about noises?' he then said lowly, staring intensively into Bill's eyes.

Bill's heart skipped a beat. He cursed himself for being careless about being noisy. "She didn't want them, sorry," he stuttered. Charizard pulled him closer to his orange head, pressing his forehead against Bill's, snarling. Bill tried to push the head away with his free hand while he tried holding onto Meowth so he wouldn't try to pilfer his watch.

'You fell for it, idiot,' Charizard grumbled, keeping his intensive stare at Bill.

"Fell for what?" Bill asked back fearfully. Realizing his mistake, he gulped. "Crap…" Charizard had found him out, and his grip on Meowth loosened a little.

'What's this about?' he asked as he tried prying himself free from Bill's hold.

Charizard ignored him and kept looking at Bill solemnly. 'You understand me perfectly, don't you?' Bill nodded slowly in guilt. 'Why didn't you tell me sooner? We could've had a nice chat while Pat is not here.'

Bill's eyes widened, not in fear, but in realization that Charizard had just figured out him being able to understand Pokémon, and not actually being one. "I guess, but in case you wondered, I don't want to be some kind of translator for your trainer," he then told Charizard. Charizard moved his head away from Bill's not taking his stare off him.

'I guess Pat will like this little piece of information, though. It's still questionable why you understand Pokémon to begin with,' Charizard said, letting go of Bill's collar.

Bill fidgeted a little, looking slightly away from Charizard, and looked at the Meowth who was currently pouting. "I don't know why… really," he muttered. Meowth shot him a glare and tried to wiggle free from the grip.

'Bah! Only Pokémon understands other Pokémon, you twat! Now gimme that shiny thing!' the scratch cat Pokémon hissed, clawing Bill's arm angrily as he tried getting off.

Bill let go of the Meowth, but tried to make sure the scratch cat Pokémon didn't try to loot his pockets. "D-don't be r-ridiculous," he stuttered, feeling even more sweaty all of a sudden. He raised one hand and wiped his forehead, realizing that he was sweating bullets.

Charizard smirked confidentially. 'You seem nervous,' he just said, switching his attention towards the Meowth. 'You! Get over here, furball,' he sternly ordered the feline. The Meowth frowned at the Charizard, but figured he had no other choice but to comply. Trotting over to the bigger Pokémon, he cast one last glance back at Bill, who slowly tried to get up.

"Y-you can't be serious," he said defiantly, "m-me? A-a Pokémon? I've heard a lot of-"

'Shut it, you!' snapped Charizard, stepping forward powerfully. Bill felt a sudden panic flooding his mind as he backed into the wall. Where was that voice when he needed it? He feebly raised his fists as a final solution. Charizard smiled. 'Really, now? I'm just going to make sure you don't run away, boy. Just following orders, you know, so lower those fists before I have to hurt you,' he advised, cracking a grin.

Bill tried studying the Charizard. There was no doubt he was a fire Pokémon, and his fire abilities was more superior to Bill's. Ice wouldn't be a great idea either, he figured, as Charizard would just melt the ice without any problems. Maybe electric would work, but that was his physically weakest type, but fastest.

Bill didn't have much more time to think as Charizard approached him and grabbed one of his fists, twisting and pushing it down. He could see the fire type's impatience in his eyes as he felt a slight pain in his trapped fist. 'Don't make me retort to any unneeded violence,' he lowly threatened, hot air coming from his mouth that washed over Bill's face. The Meowth looked around restlessly, trying to find a way to get close up to Bill and snatch his stop watch.

By pure desperation, Bill instinctively charged up a Mega Punch in his free fist, and unleashed it too early at Charizard's stomach to stun him. However, due to him not charging it up fully, only a rough third of the power was unleashed and didn't seem to affect Charizard that much. But it was enough to make him wince, which was bad.

Charizard growled and retaliated by swiftly grabbing Bill by the neck firmly, baring his teeth. He pressed him against the wall and made sure he still had Bill's other hand twisted so he wouldn't try punching again. 'Idiot,' he growled, tightening the grip around his neck. The Meowth carefully approached Bill, taking advantage of Charizard's attention of Bill.

'_Well, that wasn't good,'_ he thought bitterly, vainly trying to pry Charizard's grip from him. But the fire type's grip was firm, showing no signs of even loosening the grip, and with only one hand to use, it wouldn't work anyway. He tried calming down despite the circumstances and concentrated no lightning, trying to change into that type.

'You stupid little human… or Pokémon if you really turn out to be one…' snarled Charizard, narrowing his eyes a little. He turned to the Meowth, and caught the feline trying to sneak past him. 'Get back, furball, or better yet, get out of here before I roast you,' he threatened. The Meowth looked feebly up at the Charizard, backing away slowly before running off. When he turned back to Bill he noticed something strange.

'Eh?' His eyes showed a confused look as e noticed Bill's hair having turned a more yellowy blond.

Bill tried to hold back his confident grin, but couldn't. Charizard's confused state had proved that he had noted his hair colour change, and that he was in his electric status. He concentrated his electric energy inside him and channelled it out at random, hoping to zap the Charizard enough so the Pokémon's muscles would become numb.

His body shot out yellow electricity at various directions, most of it hitting Charizard. The fire type gritted his teeth as he held onto Bill persistently. After the attack had ended, the Charizard was twitching briefly, keeping his glare at the human boy. His grip was slowly loosening around Bill's neck can fist.

Bill grinned. Apparently the Charizard was weak to electric damage, and that was good. But the Pokémon still refused to let go. Bill tried to pry off the grip around his trapped hand, and groaned as Charizard managed to pull it away from him. He started to wonder how much longer the Pokémon would keep twitching because of the electricity.

The Charizard stopped twitching and clutched onto Bill's hand and neck harder, eye widening in fury as he snarled. 'Nice try, you little pest,' he growled, opening his mouth and inhaling deeply. Bill started to feel panic as he had a hard time trying to breathe normally. Burning fire started to develop inside Charizard's maw as it turned painfully hot near Bill's face.

"That's enough!"

Charizard suppressed the Flamethrower he was charging up and swallowed it, coughing up a puff of smoke afterwards. Both he and Bill looked at the direction of the voice and saw Pat. Bill wasn't sure if he should've been happy or worried that she was here. She calmly walked up to the two, releasing her Pikachu from her pokéball. The small yellow Pokémon appeared with a bright white light, looking at Bill and Charizard.

"A lot sure has happened while I was gone," she stated, seeing how Charizard was restraining Bill differently than he had before she left. "Charizard, did he try to run?" she asked her fire Pokémon.

Charizard glanced at her, and then stared right into Bill's eyes. 'You tell her,' he growled lowly to Bill. He just looked at the Pokémon, pretending not to understand him. Charizard squeezed a little on his hand, "I'll crush your hand if you don't," he warned, snarling as he began to slowly tighten the hold around Bill's hand.

"Charizard? What's this about?" asked Pat, wondering why Charizard was doing what he did.

Bill groaned as he felt pain through his right hand as the draconic Pokémon slowly tightened the squeeze. It felt like his fingers were about to impale his palm, and further pressure would lead to his fingers being broken, to start with. "I… I…" he stuttered, feeling the grip around his neck loosen slightly. Apparently Charizard wanted to make sure he could talk.

"You what?" Pat tapped her foot impatiently. "You got blonde hair now?" she asked, cracking a slight grin. But Pikachu looked at Bill with a worry in his brown eyes, letting his worried look slide over to Charizard.

'You figured him out, didn't you, Charizard?' the electric mouse Pokémon meekly asked.

Charizard's attention went directly to Pikachu. 'Y…you knew?' he said as he stared dumbfounded at Pikachu. The mouse nodded. 'Then why-'

Pikachu held up a small paw to interrupt. 'He saved me, you know,' he muttered. Charizard just snorted and looked back at Bill, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey," said Pat, looking at her two Pokémon, "what are you guys talking about?" she asked.

Charizard looked at her shortly, and then back to Bill, grinning. 'I give you three seconds to tell her, and if you don't…' He squeezed Bill's hand a little bit more before loosening the squeeze.

"I… I'm a…" He hesitated; he wondered how Pat would react if she got to know. He suddenly felt Charizard's grip on his hand tighten painfully, causing him to yelp. "A Pokémon, damnit! I'm a Pokémon!" he finally admitted, cringing to the pain of Charizard's attempt to crush his right hand. The draconic Pokémon suddenly let go of his hand and patted him on his head, smiling.

'Good boy,' he taunted, keeping his grip around Bill's neck as firm as ever. Pikachu's shoulders slumped as he sighed.

Pat just looked confused. "Are you nuts or something?" she exclaimed.

Charizard looked at her, and then looked back at Bill. 'Convince her, kid,' he demanded.

Bill remained silent, not knowing how to convince her.

The fire type slapped hard across the cheek with his clawed hand, snarling. 'Show an attack!' he growled.

"Charizard, are you implying he's a Pokémon? Why would…" Pat started, pausing for a moment. "Wait a minute… now I get it. _That's_ how you manage to save Pikachu, and it means you beat the Scyther?" she questioned, a smile slowly curling up on her lips. "And they wanted revenge on you, and followed you to Mt Moon, where you fought them off as well." She grinned, picking up a pokéball.

Bill didn't say anything. He didn't want to explain the events in the Viridian Forest and the Mt Moon encounter, so it'd be better if she just assumed things for now.

"My, my, you must be pretty strong," she concluded, tossing the black/yellow and white spherical object. "Fighting off a Scyther swarm is something even Charizard has trouble with," she told him. Charizard just snorted at her, looking back at Bill.

'I don't think you're that strong,' he muttered, snorting at Bill as well.

Bill looked at the differently coloured pokéball, trying to ignore Charizard. "Why's your pokéball black and yellow instead of red on the top?" he asked, fearing the worst.

Pat smiled, tossing the spherical object in the air once more. Catching it, she said, "This is an Ultra ball, much stronger than the usual pokéball."

Bill gulped, and wondered what the hell he was supposed to do. Both of his hands were free, though the right one still ached after having been nearly crushed by Charizard, but he tried to think a way out of this. _'Maybe a Blackout Blast…´ _he thought, but he then spotted Pat pulling her arm back to throw the Ultra ball at Bill to catch him.

Bill quickly concentrated some of his electric powers and used a weakly charged Thunder Punch with his left hand to swat the Ultra ball away from him. As he knocked the ball away, he felt a light pain in his left hand as the blow had hurt it slightly. But Charizard growled and pushed him up against the wall.

"Impressive," admitted Pat, catching the Ultra ball on its rebound, "even though I understand your determination on keeping your little secret, you could turn out being much, much stronger with proper training from me. What do you say?" she suggested.

Bill just gritted his teeth.

"Of course I need to catch you first, and with that you need to be weakened. So, Charizard, knock him out!" she ordered.

Charizard reared his head back for a Headbutt attack that would be powerful enough to knock Bill unconscious, but Bill knew that it had gone too far. He quickly pulled back his fist and managed to punch Charizard's throat as it was exposed as he was preparing his Headbutt. Charizard dropped Bill and coughed at the sudden hit, clutching his throat.

Bill backed away from the Charizard before he had time to recover and charged up his Blackout Blast, his hands glowing a blackish aura. He knew that he had to hit Pat with it, but he had to trick Charizard. Thinking of which, Charizard had recovered and glared at Bill with murder in his eyes.

'You little…' he growled.

"Interesting attack you're charging there, Bill, care to tell me what it is?" Pat asked, crossing her arms confidently as she studied the attack.

Bill glanced at her, waiting for the Blackout Blast to become fully charged. He put his hands together and stuck out his index and middle fingers, forming it like a gun. Charizard took a few steps towards him, aware of the attack Bill was charging up. 'That won't do much to me,' he taunted, raising his clawed hands.

"I know, but on her it will!" exclaimed Bill as he turned and fired off the round blast at Pat. The blackish projectile struck her and she was knocked into the wall, unconscious.

'Pat!' both Charizard and Pikachu shouted, the latter running up to her and check if she was okay. Charizard turned to Bill and rushed forward, grabbing him by the neck again. 'What did you do to her?' he snarled, moving up his other clawed hand near Bill's face.

"She'll be okay," he replied, trying to pry the grip off him. "I just erased her memory… of me being a Pokémon, that's all!"

Charizard clutched Bill's whole face with his claws, slowly squeezing. 'You little shit, it won't help you anyway. When she wakes up, I'll just force you to tell her what you are!' He squeezed harder with his both claws. 'But the act you just performed… it's enough for me to just crush you little face!' He squeezed harder, cutting Bill's air supply off so he couldn't scream.

'Don't,' said Pikachu, 'she wants to catch him, not you to kill him.' Charizard looked at him, and grumbled something about Bill being lucky. He loosened the grip on his face, but still held on to it to make sure he wouldn't try any further tricks. He led Bill towards the wall again, pushing him up against it. He loosened the grip around his neck, allowing him to breathe freely.

"Your hand stinks," muttered Bill, sounding a bit muffled as part of Charizard's scaly hand covered his mouth. Charizard just lightly rammed his head into the wall as a gesture to shut up. Bill sighed through his nostrils. He sensed a kind of a déjà vu, having blasted a trainer and a trainer's Pokémon being pissed off about it, just great.

'SHIINEEY!' a yowl pierced the air as something cream coloured jumped onto Charizard's head, clutching onto it. The sudden attack had caused the fire type to let go of Bill. The Pokémon that had assaulted Charizard was none other than the scratch cat Pokémon Meowth, who clutched onto the fire type's head as hard as he could.

'I'll get him off ya!' said Pikachu as he charged up some electricity in his small red pouches on his cheeks, shooting it towards the fire type. Unfortunately for him, the Meowth jumped off and the attack struck Charizard.

Bill took the opportunity and ran away from the Pokémon while the fire type started yelling at the Pikachu for frying him with the Thundershock attack. Making it out from the back alley, he found himself in front of the gym again. He figured that whether the two Pokémon would give chase after him or not, it'd be a good idea to rush over to the PokéCentre to rest after this escapade.

--

After Bill had arrived at the centre, he had walked into his room. He lay down on his bed and drew a long sigh. Having already turned back into human, he felt he needed a nap after all this, but he started thinking about taking a shower. He sighed again and wondered what happened with the Meowth. It was thanks to that furball he made it out there without being caught again when Pat had recovered. Despite the feline's desire to have his Stop Watch, he kinda felt sorry about him.

Sitting up on his bed, he figured he'd take a shower anyways. Walking into the bathroom, he undressed and walked into the shower room, turning on the water. It was cold at first, but even though he just adjusted the temperature by one millimetre, it turned scalding hot. Grumbling he figured he had to take a colder shower for now, and slowly build up the temperature as he showered.

He heard the main door slam shut as he showered. He wondered if it was Jonathan coming back. He quickly finished up his shower and got dressed. He opened the door and saw Jonathan sitting on his bed, holding his head as if he had a headache.

"Huh?" the younger teen said as he noticed Bill, "weren't you at the library?" he asked.

Bill remembered that Pat had told Jonathan that he had walked off somewhere. "Yeah, but I got bored and figured I needed a rest," he lied. Telling him about the encounter behind the gym would _not_ be a good idea at all, since he'd just make scene about it. "How did the gym battle go, by the way?" h proceeded to ask.

Jonathan sighed, looking away. "Lost again," he muttered lowly. "Twice," he added. He fell back on his bed, looking up at the ceiling. He lay there for a few minutes while Bill walked to his own bed, lying down on it as well. "I don't know what's up with Ivysaur. Sometimes he just looks at me… like I was about to abandon him or something… it's kinda depressing," he said lowly, still staring up at the ceiling.

"Well I don't know what it is," Bill muttered, staring up at the roof as well. The ceiling was white and blended well with the wintergreen walls. He sighed as he thought of the issue with Ivysaur. Though, as he already was tired, he slowly drifted into sleep, and so did Jonathan.

--

When Bill woke up again, it was beginning to get dark outside. He looked over at Jonathan. The younger teen had already changed to his pyjamas and had gone to sleep. Bill still felt tired, and wondered if he should go back to sleep right away. He felt a sudden sting in his bladder as he felt he needed to visit the men's room, and quickly, but tiredly, hurried to the bathroom.

When he was finished with his business in the bathroom, he spotted something from the outside of the window above his bed. The shade resembled the very familiar scratch cat Pokémon he had met a few times this day. The Meowth was leaning against the window, staring into Bill's eyes. The feline's eyes looked very begging, and considering he had saved him from Charizard and Pikachu, Bill figured that he could let the Pokémon in.

Opening the window, he let in the Meowth. Jonathan was sleeping deeply anyway, so he wouldn't mind if Bill just let in the Pokémon for a quick chat. The feline jumped inside and sat down on a chair.

"Hey," said Bill, looking at Meowth, "I guess I should thank you for earlier."

The Pokémon looked at him, tilting his big head as his gaze stayed on Bill's pocket where his Stop Watch was. "Meeeooowth," the Pokémon yowled, standing on his two hind legs.

Bill chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Heh, I can't understand you now, but please keep it down, will ya? My friend's sleeping, and I don't think he'd like me letting in you," he told the Pokémon, gesturing him to keep it low.

Meowth frowned and crossed his arms. "Meoo," he muttered, scratching his ear a little.

Bill approached Meowth, smiling. "You don't believe me not understanding you, don't you?" Meowth shook his head stubbornly. "Look, I can't enter Pokémon status in here, it's like asking for getting caught," he then said.

Meowth rolled his eyes and jumped down from the chair, trotting up to Bill. He rubbed his furry body against Bill's legs, purring a little as he did so. Bill knelt down and petted him a little on his big head.

"How did you manage to get away from Charizard and Pikachu?" Bill asked while petting the feline. Meowth stood up and made a running gesture, explaining that he ran away from them. The scratch cat Pokémon then looked up at the pocket were, eyes sparkling. Bill sighed. "You really want that watch, don't you?" Meowth nodded, still looking into Bill's eyes with his own begging ones.

"Mrreow!" yowled the feline, sitting down.

"Okay, but just play a little with it, okay?" he told him, picking up the Stop Watch. Instantly, the Meowth's eyes shone up as he pounced onto Bill, grabbing the Stop Watch. Meowth clutched his paws around the silvery object and caressed it slightly against his cream coloured cheek, purring as he did so. The chain was stretched out between the watch and Bill's pocket, and Meowth briefly looked at it from time to time.

"Meow… th," the feline muttered as he fiddled carefully with the watch, looking curiously at the buttons and the tip of the chain. He lifted the watch up and let the moonlight reflect upon the silvery smooth exterior, becoming almost completely hypnotized by the shiny thing.

Bill tugged the chain lightly, gesturing he wanted the watch back. "Don't push any buttons, Meowth," he warned the feline tiredly. Meowth just tugged back with an annoyed look on is big face, he wanted to play with the shiny thing a little bit more. Bill just sighed. He looked over at Jonathan, who still slept in his bed. He was probably worn out after losing so many matches due to Ivysaur refusing to cooperate.

He started thinking about the grass type. Ivysaur was playing some game, Bill was aware of that, but what kind of game? Could it be something about what Jonathan had told Bill the other day?

His thoughts were interrupted by another tug from the Meowth. "Damnit, stop that," he scolded at the feline, who just frowned at him. Bill ripped the watch from Meowth grasp and pocketed it determinedly. Meowth stood up on his hind legs and stared down Bill, unsheathing his claws.

"Mrrreow!" he hissed, pouncing at Bill. But Bill grabbed him by the neck and stood up, grumbling.

"That's it, be a bad kitty then," he said irately as he carried the struggling feline to the window, tossing him out and closing it afterwards. Meowth quickly pounced up in front of the window and looked inside. Bill just shook his head, climbing up to his bed and going to sleep.

_**To be continued…**_


End file.
